238. Pick Thai, Stratford Upon Avon..

   When going to the latest bowdlerised version of the Bard’s work being performed by the RSC’s dreary creative management’s choice of actors picked not for their acting abilities but for their ability to confuse an aging, already befuddled audience and to fit in with the management’s view of a fair society, I find it best to have lunch rather than a rushed pre-theatre dinner and certainly not a post-theatre experience at the only place still open in town at that time - the horrible south Asian restaurant on Sheep Street which I shall not name.

  But of course, getting one’s hands on a reasonably edible lunch early or midweek is problematical in itself as few chefs want to serve the midday meal except on days closer to the weekend. I pondered and then remembered that when the late, lamented No 9 Church Street had closed its oven doors for the last time it was replaced by a Thai specialty restaurant called, slightly inelegantly, Pick Thai, in which there may or may not be a pun on the Thai language or simply an imperative to choose some neckwear.

  The restaurant is little changed from the days of No. 9 apart from appropriate new wallpaper and the addition of some Thai-themed pictures and decorations on the walls. It all looks comfortable and pleasant and charming. The restaurant is family-run which sets it apart from the two other Thai restaurants I can think of in Stratford and the service is quiet and polite and efficient. A two course lunch can be had for the remarkable price of £9.99 which sounds like pretty good value to me.

  And so as starter I chose the ‘Chef’s Special’ which was made up of two nicely crispy spring rolls filled with pieces of pleasingly cooked duck with carrot, spring onion and celery served with a tangy hoisin sauce. Very edible.

  The only real problem was that the starter was served at the same time as the main course so, feeling anxious that my massaman beef curry with rice, would soon cool down I felt an urgency to polish off my starter which was a pity really. The massaman curry was served in a rustic fashion and was very pleasant, the beef was tender and tasty and the sauce carried with it the pleasant favour of the soothing coconut milk with star anise and cinnamon and there were cashews and fried shallots in the curry. The generously-portioned rice was cooked well and it all made for an enjoyable main course at a very reasonable price.

  My choice for dessert was banana fritters with ice cream. When served, these looked lovely on the plate and the breadcrumb coating was pleasantly crispy but the coating was too thick and there was no flavour of banana. This was a disappointing dish.

  Despite the unsuccessful dessert, a fairly rapid lunch at Pick Thai proved to be an overall enjoyable experience and it certainly it was good value. I will be pleased to revisit the pleasant little restaurant again to enjoy its food and to support one of Stratford’s little local businesses.