Thai Square Strand

With branches in central London & on a smattering of affluent Home Counties high streets, Thai Square is firmly pitched at the upper end of the scale. Interiors are dark & classy, staff are immaculately turned out in a smart contemporary take on traditional garb, & the menu is Royal Thai rather than noodle bar. The results are more hit & miss: top shouts include the likes of thinly sliced roasted duck breast with a sharp tamarind sauce, or steamed king prawns in a dish charged with garlic, lemongrass, chilli, galangal & lime leaves; on the downside, a southern Thai massaman curry has been disappointingly bland. Readers are equally divided, with some ‘impressed’ by both food & decor, but others berating the kitchen for using what they feel to be ‘cheap ingredients’. However, everyone agrees that the service can always be relied on to be ‘welcomingly Thai’.