The Golden Orchid

The Golden Orchid

The quest for authentic Asian cooking often takes you to the foodies in China Town, apparently the city's epicenter of ethnic eastern food.

But next time your on the hunt for some tantilising Thai cuisine, spare a thought for the Golden Orchid in Hoylake, which is where I headed for my latest review.

Having never fully experienced Thai cooking I was excited to see what was on offer, especially after hearing such great things about this particular venue.

Situated off Market Street in the heart of Hoylake , Wirral, the restaurant can accommodate both a fine dining experience or a bite to eat if your in the area.

A golden Thai goddess greets you as enter the restaurant, which is decorated in a rich saffron colour and adorned with traditional Thai tapestries.

Immediately you are struck by the friendly, accommodating atmosphere created by warm welcome from the staff. No wonder Thailand is known as the land of smiles.

We were treated to a bowl of crispy prawn crackers and dip, for £2.00 while we perused the large 90+ dish menu and with so many dishes to choose from it was clear the chef has recreated nearly all of the recipes he loves from his homeland.

I started with the stuffed chicken wings, packed with minced pork, garlic and bamboo.

While my guest enjoyed the crispy duck spring rolls served with sweet chilli sauce, both £5.25

The bite-size starters came served with an ingenuis hand-crafted flower made out of swede which had been sliced into shape by the skillful chef.

The crispy wings and golden skins gave a satisfying crunch, and the garlic didn't over power but added a pang to the pork.

The rolls were good too, stuffed with well seasoned duck, and vegetables, dipped in sweet chilli sauce and all gobbled up.

We could have stopped there, but it was on to the next course, where I quickly found out this restaurant is serious about spices, so even medium heat packs considerable punch.

I learned this after a few fiery bites of the Chicken Thai red curry, accompanied by French beans, bamboo and coconut cream, for 10.50

The curry poured over sticky boiled rice, was filling and the bamboo and coconut cream offsets the heat from the chilli, which was just what was needed.

My guest tucked into a stir-fried sweet and sour chilli sauce with chicken, also £10.50 which was an equal blend of yin-yang flavours, sweet, juicy grapes and crunchy green beans.

After a small break but still feeling the effects of the chilli heat on my tongue, my partner and I opted for two scoops fo the luxury ice cream to cool it down.

Served with whipped cream and my favourtie guilty pleasure strawberry sauce, the dessert was also a hit!

The dishes we tried reflect The Golden Orchird's passion for Thailand's colorful, aromatic cuisine, the atmosphere was good and the service was great. Would strongly recommend...

Worth the journey and the tunnel fare 8/10

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