Restaurant to try: Lemongrass, Chichester

A couple of my old uni buds came to visit over the weekend and we decided to catch up over a meal at a new Thai restaurant called Lemongrass which opened in Chichester a month or so ago.

I love how there's always a real sense of pride in the way Thai food is put together. As you might guess from the beautifully presented Kanom Jeep above (Thai dim sum), Lemongrass is no exception. I mean, look at that carved potato flower! Impressive for just a garnish :-)

You certainly feel like you are about to experience something rather authentic as soon as you walk in when you are greeted with a polite 'namaste' by a smart-looking waiter. Of course, it's also one of those places where if it feels a little alien to any of you, one of you is bound to do something a little bit silly.

As you are taken to your table through a row of colourfully dressed beaming staff lined up on either side of you, it does make you feel rather special. I was busy oohing and aahing at the warming red, yellow and white decor around me, and, when suddenly caught off guard by the many smiling faces, I accidentally slipped (but managed to stay upright). Oh dear, I thought, it's going to be one of those evenings...

The restaurant is pretty big and we were seated in the 'best table in the restaurant'. I'm not entirely sure what made it the best table though, as it was a tight booth that was blocked by a wall that made it difficult to get in on one side! (Lots of banging elbows and clattering crockery and cutlery ensued later that evening on our table.)

After getting our bearings, we looked through the huge menu which has pages of wonderful dishes. You've got your classic Thai curries, stir fries and soups, a good selection of veggie dishes (which aren't just boring tofu alternatives of the meat dishes) and of course, plenty of seafood dishes to choose from. I went for a stir fried duck with ginger dish:

Ped Pad Khing

It was pretty nice and the duck had a lot of naughty skin (mm, the best part!) but was far too salty, which spoilt it a little. The portions are massive though and they don't scrimp on any of the ingredients - no stingy pasta dishes here with just 4 slices of chicken and a couple of mushroom!

The dim sum you see at the top of this post was my favourite, and again, they were packed generously - a gorgeously juicy filling of water chestnuts, minced chicken and prawns.

The staff are very attentive too though there seemed to be a different person that came to our table each time, which was confusing and made the service seem a bit erratic. Typically, you might expect this to make you feel a bit unloved as a customer and also rushed to finish your meal too when they all bustle about. There's nothing worse than feeling like the staff just want you to get out of there as soon as possible.

Despite them darting around though, it doesn't really bother you too much because of the gentle classical Thai music filtering through. It allows you to sink back and really enjoy the whole Thai experience. And all this I got just from where I was sitting - I really wanted to have a wander around to take some photos of the stylish surroundings - but was paranoid that I was going to slip again! So, I definitely need to go back again :-)

Other restaurants I've tried that you might like to read about.