Dinner At Thai Pavillion Restaurant In Chesterfield
Published On Sunday 25 Sep 2022 by Sticky Beak
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One of the things we’ve always loved about the blog is the engagement we get from our readers. We recently posted a review about a venue that we’d had a really good experience at, but when one lady, Janette, visited she wasn’t as enamoured; she did, however, recommend another Thai restaurant that she likes (that we hadn’t visited) and said we should try to pop in. Never ones to ignore a good-sounding suggestion, when the next opportunity to dine out came along we decided that we’d give Thai Pavilion in Chesterfield a go.
We ended up parking in the same car park we’d used when we dined at The Market Pub, and it was only a short walk to Thai Pavilion. A really funny moment happened when we walked through the doors and into the lovely reception area with its huge arrangement of Orchids and other exotic flowers. The lady was on the phone having a conversation with someone, and that someone was telling her that we were coming and she was frantically looking for the booking name!! I put her out of her misery, and we all had a giggle together as she took us over to our table. As it happens it wasn’t the lovely Janette on the phone, it was her husband! I like your style, sir; get some kudos in credit for your next visit to the restaurant!
There were more fresh flowers on the table, and flowers and statues in the windows. Everywhere you looked there was beauty in the restaurant, and the warm spice colours of the walls allowed the wall hangings, murals and free standing deity statues’ golden tones to shine. I loved the floral pattern of the upholstery on the high-backed dining chairs; they complimented the wooden tables nicely.
I was smitten by the fruity Shiraz/Pinotage that I’d chosen to sup and His Nibs had gone for a pint of Thai Singha beer, smiling happily as that first, cool mouthful went down. Our server, a very dapper chap, brought over a basket of Thai Prawn Crackers for us to nibble on whilst we decided what we fancied to eat, and you can’t help but relish the thicker, crunchier texture of these lightly spicy morsels. After much debate, we elected to share a Thai Platter for starter as it contained a bit of everything; we hadn’t been able to narrow our starters down to just one option, so this seemed the perfect solution and, priced at £14.95, looked like it was going to be good value for money.
The presentation of the platter was exquisite; carrot had been carved into leaves and flowers and fresh herbs’ green colour added a landscape effect as they all sat on a bed of shredded white Cabbage. Satay- and Sweet Chilli- dipping sauces were served in little spoons and presented on a separate tray that was carefully placed squarely at the back of the food platter. A little finger bowl was also placed carefully on the table for us to cleanse our hands whenever we needed to.
First up, we had the Chicken Satay Skewers and they were gorgeously tender, coming cleanly off their wooden stakes and melting in our mouths. These chicken minxes already had a light spice coating on them, but when we added the Satay dipping sauce into the mix it was even better – yum yum!
I had harboured a secret hope that The Man would pass on the Sesame Prawn and Chicken on French bread (you all know he doesn’t like Prawn) but, nope, he decided that because they were mashed he’d give them a try... and would you credit it, he liked them. That’s another thing that’s no longer sacred; if he ever requests Mushrooms, I’m out the door!! I hastily snaffled the Tempura King Prawns – no way was he having these sweet, fragrant beauties – though he spotted the Onion Rings and helped himself to their crunchy deliciousness.
The Pork Spare Ribs were smaller than you get in some venues, but what they lacked in size they made up for in flavour, thanks to the rich, sultry sauce that coated them. If it’s crunch that excites your senses then you’re going to be new BFFs with the Spring Rolls; these vegetable-packed pastry delights were blooming fantastic, and very moreish. This had certainly been a tasty, satisfying starter choice and one that we’d quite happily have again.
During our starter we had been asked if we were enjoying our food, to which we replied “yes, thank you”, and this was confirmed again by the empty platter that just had bare rib-bones and prawn tails left on it. New cutlery and napkins were set down for us and then we awaited our mains: Gaeng Pa-Naeng with Prawns for me (a type of curry, £13.95) and sizzling Pad Prik Thai Dam with Squid for His Nibs (£12.95). We’d also ordered portions of plain steamed Jasmine Rice (£2.80) and Sticky Rice (£4.95) to go with our food.
You could hear The Man Birds’ Squid dish coming way before you could see it, the sound of sizzling food carrying across the restaurant! Before he’d even taken his first mouthful we knew it was going to be delicious: the steam had carried the aroma to our nostrils and we’d grinned at each other. Wasting no time at all, His Nibs popped a piece of Squid and some vegetables into his mouth as I served up the rice for us both. The Black Pepper certainly woke the taste buds up with its fieriness, and other spices added their notes to the flavour profile as well. You get plenty of Squid in this dish, so take your appetite; it’s very filling and the seafood was cooked perfectly to keep it soft and tasty, instead of tough and rubbery.
My curry was full of fat, juicy Prawns so, again, it was good value for money; seafood is usually a bit more spenny than other meats and sometimes you feel a bit short-changed, but not here at Thai Pavilion in Chesterfield, I’m happy to say. The Green Beans were still beautifully squeaky to the bite and the peppers also had a nice amount of crunch left to them, so this was a dish with a good amount of texture to it. The curry sauce was an absolute joy to eat; a real show-stopper with plenty of fire and spice to it, but only a light tingle factor, so you won’t be emptying the flowers from their vase in a desperate quest for water!
The rice dishes were polar opposites (one ultra fluffy, the other glutinous and sticky) but both were delicious in their own right, bringing different tastes to the meal. You got the lighter, playfully floral flavour of the steamed Jasmine rice immediately in the mouth, whereas the deeper tones of the Sticky rice took a bit longer to fully develop on the palate. I think next time we visit, I could be tempted to try the Coconut rice; maybe with some fish or mussels?
Throughout our time at Thai Pavilion the staff had been very polite and nothing had been too much trouble. As we left they did the customary bow and prayer hands, and we bowed back; this had been a lovely evening, so thank you again to Janette for her recommendation. Hot Wings happily awarded to this delightful Thai restaurant in Chesterfield.
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