GEOGRAPHY has never been my strong point, but I’m fairly sure that Thailand is not a cold country.
So how come it has produced a cuisine that is just perfect for driving away the winter blues?
Trudging through the snow and ice to get to Royal Thai, my wee family were greeted with mouth-watering, soul-warming smells, sunny smiles and a promise of some fine food in our near future.
There was even a bit of mystery waiting in the wings, but more about that later.
Our first challenge was to decide what to have from the extensive menu. Do we go banquet or a la carte? Sharies or individual dishes?
In the end we opted for doing our own thing after sharing a starter, the grandly-titled Tom Sum Rub, or royal starter for two (£11.50).
This was an excellent pick-and- mix trot through Thai delicacies, such as meaty, spicy ribs, to delicate, flavour- packed spring rolls and piquant fish cakes.
It also had the unusual – noodle-wrapped seafood in which a crispy nest-like coating gave way to tender, juicy prawns.
And it had the aforementioned mystery – chicken wrapped in pandanas leaves, whatever they are. This was a parcel of greenery that, for the first time in years, had me wondering how to eat an item of food.
Do you bite through? Eh, no, I realised when I ended up with a mouthful of inedible leaf.
Unwrap it then, and inside you find a chunk of delicate chicken imbued with a bitterish taste, as if steeped in tea. I loved it, the boy hated it. Takes all sorts.
Still the loon had nothing to complain about with his main course. His honey chilli chicken (£8) was sweet, spicy and had the most tender breast meat in the lightest batter. Much “yumming” followed.
My missus, meanwhile, was underwhelmed by her Beef Emperor (£8.50), a Thai take on beef in oyster sauce. Not enough oomph for her, but I thought it was delicious.
The beef itself was tender and tasty and garlic and spring onion flavours subtly pleasing.
Not that I had too much of hers, though. I was far too busy stuffing my face with homok talay (£8.90).
In essence, a seafood red curry, it was superb, all up-front fire and subtle aniseed notes.
There was a mound of squid, king prawn and mussels, although – disappointingly – only one crab claw. Fine though.
In fact, it was a fine night all round.
My only major quibble was a 10% service charge being automatically slapped on, while the card slip left space for a tip to be added. Tut, tut.
Still that didn’t cool my passion for this warm Thai treat.