Having arrived early to meet my three friends, I was kept amused by the Thai Orchid's interesting décor. As you enter the restaurant you will immediately notice the water fountain; this, and gazing at the oriental statues and intricate wooden carvings, had the necessary calming effect as I waited impatiently. I'm not sure if the crystal chandeliers complimented the Thai scenery, but it definitely added to the overall ornate atmosphere.

Our table was booked for 7.30pm on a Saturday. This seemed an ideal time, as the restaurant began to get quite packed by 9. We were led to one of the conservatory-type rooms filled with hanging plants (which the waiters sometimes have to dodge around, but which prove no obstacle for the diners!).

Choosing our food was a challenge. We were tempted by the banquet menus, which offer a set range of food, typically: a starter, 3 or 4 main courses, rice and a sweet, and costing between £16-£20 per person. One possible problem with these menus is that you need to order them to share between at least 2 people. We decided we'd concoct our own version, and picked several dishes to share amongst the four of us. We spent a total of £70 including a 10% tip.

We chose 2 starters, some Vegetable spring rolls (tasty but small and you only get 3) and Chicken Satay (again we ended splitting 3 of these 4 ways). We had 4 main dishes: Green Thai Chicken Curry (Nic strongly recommended this, as the meat was good and the sauce was nice but not too spicy), Sweet and Sour Pork (this wasn't fatty, which was a plus, but neither was it anything special), Duck marinated in a honey sauce (good but too much!) and finally Pad Thai (one of Mike's favourite Thai dishes, and one I'd now definitely recommend. With it's combination of rice noodles fried with chicken, prawns and bean sprouts coated in a sweet tamarind sauce served with cashew nuts - it was YUMMY!). We found ourselves ordering an extra rice dish during our main course, so had 3 rices in total. During our meal the dessert trolley was constantly passing us and this was enough to encourage us to each try one. The summer fruit pudding should be avoided if you don't like incredibly sweet food. All our meals were delivered quickly and the service was efficient.

This restaurant offers a lot of choice for carnivores, but only has 5 vegetarian main dishes. We didn't opt for wine, but if you choose to do so the cost is generally around £15 a bottle, £12 for house and £26 for the most expensive.

The Thai Orchid caters for all sorts, and everyone there seemed to be enjoying themselves whether they were on the hen night, having a romantic dinner for two, fuelling up with a pre-ball dinner or enjoying their friends' company as I was. Overall I would recommend a trip to this restaurant - and failing that, they do takeaway.

C.Robinson, 10.05.03