THE PLACE

It’s the hottest day of the summer so far so we want to sit outside and sweat it with a Thai lunch, with all those spices. However there’s something about tapas in the sun too. Can we combine the two? Why yes. Mai Ped Ped Ped uses a combination of small individual dishes and value for money collections, affording us the opportunity to sample a medley of complementary dishes without busting the bank or a trouser button.

THE MEAL

We plump for the Ped Ped (Hot) Tapas Set (£8.50), which is an attractive presentation of spicy beef salad, stuffed squid with chili and basil and Thai red curry and rice. The beef salad is a perfect melange of tender and crisp, with a spicy bite that doesn’t outstay its welcome. It was hard to see what the squid is stuffed with but it nicely resisted the temptation to veer towards the rubbery, and the red curry was good. At £5.50 (for the chicken version) the Two Dish Meal Combis would have to be very poor to disappoint but the large, greasy vegetable tempura has a good go. The chili and basil stir-fry more than makes up for it though – sharp and light. A side of fishcakes ought to be a bargain at £2.50 but ours are too chewy to be enjoyable. We get confused by what is what and ask for the ‘chicken curry in a golden new potato cup’ twice. It’s more like delicate Bombay potatoes than the curry we expect but at £2.20 it’s no problem having a portion each.

VERDICT

The service was beyond relaxed, which could be a major problem if you’re on a strict lunch break, but that could be due to the lovely weather. Certainly the singular waitress was rushed off her feet but remained polite and cheerful. We’d certainly recommend the cute, tiny interior or outside tables in the evening though, but choose wisely or order a lot – not everything on the menu is great.

WERE WE SUSSED

We could have a hat with those ‘press’ cards stuck in the band and the poor waitress wouldn’t have noticed.

MAI PED PED PED

Market Street (01273) 737373

Mon – Sat 11.30am-11pm, Sun 11.30am-10pm