Look east for top Thai flavours

Fortunately, the Thai Orchid knows what it is doing on that front.

Its website explains that the limited Friday and Saturday evening opening times are due to it being “ avery homely-run business”, run by a head chef who comes from Thailand.

Our food certainly tasted authentic and it must be this that keeps the place up and running despite it being shut most of the week.

We phoned across an order as soon as the doors opened one Friday night and the food was ready in just over the 20 minutes they promised.

We started with vegetable spring rolls, though they more resembled a pakora in shape and look.

These came in a hefty six-part portion on a bed of shredded carrot, and were absolutely delicious.

There was tons of fresh veg nestled inside crisp, flaky pastry which survived into a work snack the following day.

For mains, I had Gai Pad Med Mamuan.

This pleasing dish was stir fried chicken with a blend of cashew nuts, onions, peppers and spring onions. There was an abundance of chicken pieces and nuts, two ingredients takeaways often scrimp on, and the well-seasoned sauce was very moreish without being overly spicy.

I had plenty left to dig into for lunch the following day.

My dining partner had gad tord gratiam prik tai (quite a tricky one to say when making a phone order, but thankfully each dish is also numbered on the menu!)

This was chicken with black pepper, garlic and onions and is spiced with Thai chillies.

It was again very generous with the chicken pieces, making a hearty, tasty dish.

He might have liked it a bit spicier however, as it had been described as ‘one for those who like it hot’.

Once upon atime this was the only place to eat Thai food in Preston; now there’s a bit more competition.

There is now a Thai takeaway on Friargate, and another Thai restaurant soon to open further along that road.

However, the Thai Orchid can definitely hold its own.

It would pick up an extra mark out of 10 if they did delivery (parking is a faff in this area!) or did a discount on restaurant prices for takeaway diners.

The total bill came to £24 which is pretty pricy for a takeaway, but thankfully the delicious food made it worth it.