Thai Cafe, Highfield Road, Blackpool, restaurant review - This neighbourhood eaterie is serving up healthy Thai food which gets the taste buds fizzing

Thai cooking has always been one of our favourite types of food, going back to the days of Siam Rice which seemed very exotic when it opened on King Street in Blackpool a great many years ago.

Since then there have been a number of Thai restaurants trading successfully on the Fylde coast, and this one has seemingly been a welcome addition to the burgeoning dining scene on Highfield Road.

We had heard many positive comments about the eaterie, with its popularity such that securing a table on busy nights could sometimes be a struggle.

So we were delighted to be able to book a table at short notice on a Saturday evening, and were soon ensconced in our seats perusing the menu.

The interior is contemporary in design, but comfortable and in keeping with the name of the premises. There are not a large amount of tables, and on the evening we were there most were taken up with couples and groups of friends enjoying a convivial evening.

There is plenty to choose from with stir fry dishes, noodles and curries all available on the menu.

My husband Clive is a big fan of Thai soups, and was pleased to see Tom Yum – a sweet and sour offering of mushrooms, coriander, tomato and chilli.

He was asked how hot he wanted it, and went sensibly for the medium option – accompanied by a generous jug of water though as this soup is not for the faint-hearted!

I chose prawns served in a crispy blanket, and accompanied with a chilli sauce which was strong enough to get my taste buds fizzing but not too overwhelming.

As well as a selection of soups and salads,there is a plentiful choice of starters which include spring rolls, prawn toast and chicken wings priced between £6 and £10. We also ordered a bowl of Thai crackers.

Service was friendly and helpful, especially in terms of how strong your preferences are for some of the spices which make up the dishes.

The brilliant thing about Thai food is a good quality dish is both bursting with flavour and healthy ingredients such as crunchy peppers, courgettes and spring onion.

The Thai Cafe also offers each dish with a choice of meats – beef, chicken or pork, or can serve them with prawns or tofu, with vegan options also available. So all diners should be catered for.

We went for two dishes to share – Massaman beef curry with green and red curry, coconut milk, courgette, potato, onion, basil and peanuts. Just listing the ingredients is enough to make your mouth water.

Our other choice was Oyster sauce stir fry with chicken, and including broccoli and cauliflower stirred in garlic. Again we were asked how strong we wanted it and opted for mild.

We also ordered two portions of jasmine rice which were just the right amount.

There is also a decent and not too expensive wine list, from which we opted for a bottle of Malbec at £18 to accompany our meal.

Our bill, including drinks, came to £67.50.