Sometimes my quest to find a new, exciting restaurant lands me at a gem of a place, but quite often it doesn’t. Sri Nam definitely falls into the latter category of restaurant, being distinguishingly unimpressive. I guess I should have lowered my expectations when I saw the establishment was split into a busy bar downstairs, with the restaurant taking up the first floor of this spacious and initially, quite stylish looking dining area, but I still remained optimistic at that point. Guided up the rather grand and sweeping staircase, the restaurant had a retro 70’s feel to it, until I noticed the two, big plasma screen TV’s, which pretty much ruined any effect Sri Nam was aiming for (unless it was a naff, tacky one).

On ordering drinks, I was most surprised that they were out of both Singha Beer and Tiger Beer, normally the staple beers of Far Eastern restaurants. Especially as they had a thriving bar downstairs that you’d not expect to easily run out of stock. This was made up by the fact that they were able to serve pints of beer instead, but it was another worrying sign.

I have to admit, I always like to try and pronounce the authentic dish names when I order food (sometimes to the chagrin of Ms R), in any restaurant I’m in, although Thai restaurants tend to offer more amusing opportunities than most. With a tinge of regret, I passed on the Hoi Maeng Poo Orp and settled on ordering the Hoi Shell Fakthong, with only a hint of glee in my voice. In addition, Ms R ordered the Royal Thai platter for starters, which contained the usual array of prawn toast, chicken satay & seaweed, as well as the interestingly named golden bags. The platter was pretty ordinary, although the Hoi Shell Fakthong (Scallops with pumpkin & green peppercorns in a rich curry sauce) was excellent, having all the full flavours you’d expect in a Thai curry.

Unfortunately, the Hoi Shell Fakthong (I almost enjoy writing it as much as I do saying it!) was the one and only highlight of the meal. My Sia Rong Hai, (thinly sliced sirloin of beef with mint & coriander) was overcooked and Ms R’s Pla Taocee (Crispy Monkfish with Chilli & Blackbean sauce) also felt as though it had sat on a hot plate for too long. The Khee Mao Talay (stir fried noodles with mixed seafood) was probably the pick of the main courses, being alright, but considering the general low quality of the dishes, that’s not much of a compliment.

I can imagine that Sri Nam doesn’t do badly from a business point of view, as I can see that after making full use of the Happy Hour, punters are more than likely quite happy to wander up the stairs to get some dinner and therefore be a less discerning Customer base. The general effect on the service and food is that it just feels as though not a lot of effort is being put in. The Waiting staff stand around watching the TV’s whilst they are not busy, sometimes making it difficult to catch their eye and for the quality of the food, the dishes are definitely overpriced (up to £7 for starters and around the £12 mark for mains). Whilst the bar looks quite busy and caught my eye as a possible future venue to have a couple of beers, I won’t be back to the restaurant until someone gives it a good old Muay Thai kick up the backside.