This hot new lunch deal at Chaophraya is full of Thai spice – and great value, too

If you’re wanting to add a little spice to your lunch hour, then Chaophraya’s new daytime menu could be just the thing you’ve been waiting for.

The fine dining Thai restaurant has come up with a new, simplified lunchtime menu where you can delve into two courses for £11.95 or three courses for £14.95 at its plush city centre location.

There are many of the dishes that Chao has become known for, as well as a range of tasty new treats including palm sugar beef and barbecue chicken skewers for starters, and on the mains there are new dishes to sample tamarind chicken and pork belly with broccoli.

We headed along to test it all out, and naturally the new starters were high on our list of priorities, with acclaimed head chef Pichet delivering the goods.

The palm sugar beef is just as devilishly sticky as it sounds, marrying beef rump strips with a rick soy and ground pepper sauce.  Served with a sriracha sauce and fresh peppers it packs a spicy punch.

The barbecue chicken skewers are moist cubes of poultry delight, enveloped in a sweet and moreish sauce.  They come served with an extra bowl of dipping sauce but they’re that juicy I’m not convinced they need it.

On to the mains, and we opted for barbecue pork and roasted pork belly on rice, as well as a new dish of chilli sea bass.

The barbecue pork is a traditional Thai favourite, and at Chaophraya it never disappoints.  Served with a delicious sticky jasmine rice, and the traditional accompaniment of boiled egg.

The new sea bass dish is a huge portion, offering a steamy fillet in a crispy batter, served with a spicy chilli sauce that is the perfect counterbalance to the tender fillet.

I’d urge anyone to press on with a third course, as the restaurant’s newest addition of clementine tart really is a treat.

Baked in a chocolate pastry base with a smooth and seamless orange fondant at its heart, it manages to still feel like a light dish thanks to those citrus tones and a ball of vanilla ice cream alongside it.

Special mention too for the venue’s range of new desserts – we just couldn’t resist trying the new pineapple coconut moelleux from the main menu (£7.45), which looked as pretty as a picture and tasting just as divine.  A moist sponge with chunks of pineapple is topped with a black sesame ice cream that you really ought to try at least once in your lifetime.

The new Chaophraya daytime menu is available Monday to Friday from 12noon until 3pm at their Chapel Walks restaurant in Manchester.

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