OUR silver wedding anniversary called for a special meal to celebrate.

We love Indian, Italian and Chinese but they all felt a bit too familiar. There’s a Mongolian restaurant nearby — but that might have been too experimental.

So we opted for Thai at this inviting restaurant on the canal wharf at Hebden Bridge. It’s in an attractive location where you can watch the narrowboats sail by. A family of geese wandered by our window.

The staff were friendly and the menu looked tempting.

For a starter I opted for Gai Chum Pang Tod, deep-fried chicken in batter with a sweet and sour sauce. My wife and teenage son chose Goong Tempura, deep-fried crispy prawns in a light batter with a sauce similar to mine. We all agreed these dishes were wonderful and a promising start to the meal.

Now, I’ve been to Thailand — admittedly a long time ago — but what I do remember is that the food was hot, hot, hot.

So when my wife and I ordered our main course of Tod Gratiem Prik Thai — beef for me, chicken for her, with sauce, garlic and peppers — I was fully expecting to be reaching for the fire extinguisher. However, delicious though it was, the dish was surprisingly mild and delicate, with a rich soy sauce flavour.

Our son chose Pad Priew Wahn — chicken and vegetables in a sweet and sour sauce — and that was similarly lacking in fire.

Perhaps we chose mild options or maybe the spice was toned down for British tastes, which would be a pity because we’re partial to hotter dishes.

Our meals were accompanied with jasmine rice and noodles and were certainly tasty, if not quite what we were expecting.

Luckily, Rim Nam Thai escaped the floods which hit Hebden Bridge, causing chaos for businesses and bringing the town’s once-bustling nightlife to a halt.

If you’d like a good meal in pleasant surroundings, give it a try.

VERDICT

  • Food: 8
  • Drink: 8
  • Service: 9
  • Atmosphere: 8
  • Value: 7