Liz Nicholls tucks into a chilli-laden feast that takes her right back to the sun-soaked beaches of Thailand

Before responsibilities and proper adulthood put paid to far-flung jaunts, I travelled round Thailand for two glorious winters with my friend Anna, where, in between full moon parties and dodgy foreign dalliances, we crammed in as many chilli-laced street food delicacies as possible.

Here in our soggy grey homeland, we are still chasing that zing and having heard great things about Chiang Mai Kitchen, tucked down Kemp Hall Passage off the High Street, went to see how it compares to my other favourite Oxford Thai, Oli’s Kitchen in Magdalen Street You’d struggle to find a more historic and less Thai setting than Chiang Mai Kitchen, an Elizabethan-beamed hall built in 1637 – all higgeldy-piggeldy floorboards and a whopping great fireplace, the walls adorned with elephant tapestries. In 1928 it became a restaurant and has served a global mix of Chinese, Indian, and French (André Chavignon’s La Sorbonne reared a young Raymond Blanc here).

Anyway, history lesson over, and back to the food. The dining room was filled with every generation contentedly chowing down on the deliciously fragrant food, whispering their approval to each other over their satay. The effect was oddly hushed but impressive and the service was down-to-earth and friendly.

The Singha beer went down well with the prawn crackers, as did the Pak Chup as a starter (£6.50), which offered us an array of vegetables, tempura-style, with chilli-dipping sauce. These parcels of steamed and fried heat certainly hit the spot, but Anna needed the extra chopped chillies (she always orders this – she has Sri Lankan blood) to give it an extra kick. We did get food envy however over the Sum Tum papaya salad spotted on a neighbouring table, which we stared at longingly for longer than was polite.

Anna’s main was Kung Gratiem Prik Thai (prawns with garlic and pepper, £9.80) which impressed with its flavour, heat and generous portion. My fix was my perennial favourite – Kung Pad Kapaow – and with its holy trinity of chilli, Thai basil and king prawns, it did not disappoint, taking us right back to sun-soaked beaches of Thailand with its perfect pop of prawn, although instead of 60 baht, it sets you back just under a tenner here in England.

Our friends wanted something a bit more meaty and were not disappointed with their vat of Massaman curry (£9.95) – the beef and tatties were tenderly cooked and a proffered forkful proved him right. We also tried the Gaeng Phet (red curry) with chicken (£8.90), which lived up to its two encouraging red chillies on the laminated menu, punching a pleasing kick. We plumped for rice rather than noodles but were too stuffed to order pudding, so instead wandered out to catch the bus, dreaming of the next full moon, or more realistically the next time we might manage to return to Chiang Mai Kitchen.

Chiang Mai Kitchen, 130A High Street (down Kemp Hall Passage), Oxford. 01865 202233. 
chiangmaikitchen.co.uk

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