Lam Thai Restaurant
The Spirit of Thailand

LAM THAI RESTAURANT
REVIEWS AND COMMENTS

1. EDP Norfolk, May 2005 (below)
2. Norfolk Journal, June 2007 (view)

The following Lam Thai Restaurant review is an extract from the May 2005 issue of EDP 'Norfolk' Magazine published by Archant...

TOP THAI CUISINE

Lam Thai's outlook is light, bright, cheerful and welcoming. This Thai restaurant, which opened last October, faces out on to the increasingly fashionable Upper St Giles Street in Norwich... Its décor is unobtrusive, with pastel shades, a pamment floor, oriental paintings, fresh flowers at the door, and freesias in single stem vases on the tables. Images of Thailand, elephants and Buddha look in from around the 50-seat restaurant.

The food is exquisite, with attention paid to the finest detail, both when it comes to the cooking and the presentation. The menu, which bears an image of a setting sun and a Buddha from the ancient Thai capital of Sukothai, lists around 100 dishes, each with a Thai name, a translation and a detailed explanation.

At the forefront of the menu is a history of Thai cuisine, explaining the influences of the food and the desire to please not only the palate but the nose and eyes too, bringing taste, colour and texture into harmony. Inside the back cover there is a beginner’s guide to the Thai language and pronunciation.

Owner LamYai Barnwell spent 10 years searching for the perfect location to open her own Thai restaurant and she found it in the heart of historic Norwich, in the building which until recently was occupied by the French restaurant Chez Pierre.

We booked in at Lam Thai on a Wednesday evening, and were bedazzled by the range of dishes on offer and by the beautiful menu.

Starters are £4.25, main courses generally around £8.50, and there is a good range of vegetarian and seafood dishes on offer too.

The comprehensive menu, which carefully explains every dish, is complemented by unhurried service from attractive Thai waitresses dressed in traditional attire. In fact, the whole place conveys a relaxed ambience and at the back of the restaurant – past the kitchen – there is a lovely surprise. There you will find another room containing a bar, a few more tables for diners, a wonderfully comfortable brown leather sofa and chairs, and a low, wooden coffee table with a number of books on Thailand and a range of magazines.

This is the perfect place to have your coffee and smoke, if you so wish. Our dilemma was whether to have spicy beef strips with long bean, crushed chillies and garlic and Thai basil leaves; or quick fried pork pieces coated in a rich sauce with crushed garlic and peppercorn, sprinkled with coarsely chopped coriander. How about rice steamed in coconut milk or Thai fragrant rice with egg? Or noodles?

Owner, LamYai Barnwell
Photo: Nick Butcher, Archant

"The food is exquisite, with attention paid to the finest detail..."

Finally we took the easy option and went for one of the set menus, thereby securing a superb, diverse, great value meal. At £46.50 for two, they feature two starter dishes and four main courses along with fragrant rice with egg and light soya sauce.

The satay sliced chicken breast on bamboo skewers with peanut and cucumber relish was a delight, along with the deep-fried king prawns and vegetables with plum and chilli sauce to start.

For our main course we enjoyed beef slices in oyster sauce, king prawns served with onions and peppers, together with a selection of delicious vegetables.

Lam Thai Restaurant, Norwich
Photo: Nick Butcher, Archant

But what stood out were the fresh slices of ginger stir-fried with strips of lean chicken breast, a super combination and a taste to remember. And with a dessert of 'nun' banana in coconut milk and jasmine tea, plus the obligatory Singha beer, the bill was £54.

The food was delightful, the service friendly with plenty of smiles, and we had a super meal and a lovely evening.

Eastern Daily Press
'Norfolk' Magazine
Issue 73, May 2005.
Publisher: Archant

Norfolk Journal, June 2007