It's hard to think of a Thai restaurant with a better setting in West Yorkshire than this one.
Rim Nam Thai is opposite the centre of Hebden Bridge, right next to the Rochdale Canal, which then becomes the Calder and Hebble further down the valley at Sowerby Bridge.
It’s a large, open-plan, single-storey building with huge windows overlooking a view that says so much about this part of Yorkshire – and even has the dry dock right next to it.
There’s a feeling of space as you step inside to be greeted by … elephants. The carved wooden fellows are there to get across that Thai feel, along with paintings of scenes from that most friendly of countries adorning the walls.
Hardly surprising then that the staff are all Thai in traditional dresses too, and have that natural ability to be genuinely welcoming and eager to do all they can to make your meal a memorable one.
It was busy when four of us went one Friday, even though it was pouring down outside. The rain hitting the canal seemed to add to the feeling of gentility and serenity about the place.
We’re a sharing quartet: myself, wife Ruth and chums Dave and Jane. What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is, well, everybody’s. You can’t beat a bit of variety and that’s certainly what you get if you go for the shared starter for two, simply called the Rim Nam Thai Special although on the bill bizarrely was called the TNT Special. Still, although served with dips such as sweet chilli, it’s unlikely to blow your socks off.
Like many Thai starters it’s predominantly deep fried and includes chicken in batter, chicken satay, fried wonton, prawn tempura, pork and prawn on toast and spring rolls. Just to add to the infinite variety we also opted for spicy thai fishcake and one for the vegetarians called Pak Tod which was deep-fried battered mixed vegetables.
If you like a carrot, a mushroom or even a floret of broccoli coated in a light, crisp batter then this is the one for you.
Not for me, though. I’m a natural carnivore.
Best of the bunch was the prawn tempura – a long, juicy prawn, while the fishcakes – which also have prawns and herbs mixed in – have an unsettling rubbery texture but that’s how they should be. One for those who like to try something different. The spring rolls were in tightly-packed neat parcels – perhaps the staff pack parachutes in their spare time – while the chicken satay were large pieces of chicken coated in spices and on a stick. Perfect for a quick dip.
It all geared things up nicely for the main courses which let the chefs run riot to show the natural strength of Thai cuisine which mixes meat and vegetables with spice and more than a touch of panache. In short, they’re vibrantly coloured dishes to match the vibrant flavours. If you love curry then you’ll adore Thai curry.
We had a chicken Massaman – South Thai slow-cooked curry with potato, capsicum and cashew nuts; a green curry that was chicken again but this time cooked with bamboo shoots and red peppers in coconut milk flavoured with sweet basil leaves; stir fried chicken in oyster sauce with mushrooms and spring onions and crispy fish topped with aromatic red curry sauce and coconut milk.
Quite a spread yet within 20 minutes it had gone. Every last morsel. That’s testament indeed to what our tastebuds thought of the chefs’ skills.
The Massaman was red in hue but with a deep, robust flavour that still retained more than a hint of lightness, probably thanks to the coconut milk and the large pieces of potato that give it a natural cooling effect. The green curry was certainly that with a kick – beware those little red peppers – yet was on the sweeter side of savoury.
The batter returned once more on the fish dish but was a fragile coating so you could easily get to the delicate white fish inside while the red curry sauce gave it a medium spice going over. The stir fried chicken in oyster sauce with mushrooms and spring onions gave a welcome break from the curry fest and was very much a tale of the expected. You can’t go wrong with oyster sauce – taste buds are set up to naturally crave it.
The thing about Thai food is you never feel bloated afterwards. And that was the same after this one. We’ll go back probably to try the early bird that’s £11.95 for a starter, main, rice and cup of coffee. And if we’re quick about it then we’ll be able to enjoy the view too, now the nights are fast closing in.
The bill
Rim Nam Thai
Butlers Wharf, New Road,
Hebden Bridge, HX7 8AD
Tel: 01422 846888
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday
5pm-11pm. Closed Tuesdays. Early bird
specials 5pm-7pm except Saturdays.
Children:
Certainly
Disabled access and toilet: Yes
The bill: £97.30 for four with drinks
Would you go back? Yes