New Thai Restaurant in Sligo

New Thai Restaurant in Sligo

Yes- a corny blog title but it is too heard to resist…Tom Yam is a new Thai restaurant in Sligo that @heather ha been giving major props to on twitter, and one of my work mates went last night and was so impressed she brought in a copy of their (delightfully designed) menu for all of desks today, and a little doggie bag of leftovers for her lunch.  So it had to tried and tested.

Sligo has a great number of chinese and indian restaurants -of which everyone has their favourite and no two people seem to agree on – and last year gained a “contemporary asian” restaurant in Lemongrass but it’s never had a real proper thai place.  One with fresh food and cheap prices, and now it does!  Lemongrass is very nice, but high end in the land of thai – €18-22 mains, low lighting, fancy glasses and nice table settings.  It was also closed for the month of April which is a little odd- but there you go.

In the meantime Tom Yam has opened up in the Quayside shopping centre, upstairs from Jane Norman of all places. The same room is the Cornerhouse during the day, and turns into Tom Yam from 5.30 or so.

So how was it?  A total delight.  Much like the packed Green 19 in Dublin it offers simple interiors, excellent service and great food done cheap. very cheap.  I absolutely concur with Tom Doorley at the Irish Times who has been banging on about restaurants in Ireland needing to up the ante on cheap food done well for at least a year now. Finally some are listening.  

The Food is great, unlike green 19 there are at least 30 things on the menu (including salads – yes) and I bet they are all as good as the Crispy Pork with Chili that I had.  The Chef is an excellent, proper Thai chef, who came out to each table to check we were enjoying our main courses! Courses that cost €8!  Can’t remember the last time I met a head chef.  The staff were all lovely, the manager helpfully moving us to a different area when I got a bit chilly, and they let us sit over our tea for ages.  Brilliant stuff.

It was pretty quiet being that it is new and a rainy thursday night in Sligo, but I urge you, dear reader, to go. Now do go expecting cheap and cheerful, these are cafe style tables and pretty basic set up, but it is bright and clean, and if you sit in the centre near the wooden screen things it’s lovely and warm.  And the food is great.  Yes, the coleslaw on the side of the Singapore noodles my friend had was odd – but charmingly irish- but the noodles were terrific. And Cheap. I mentioned cheap right?

We should applaud and encourage this sort of thing so do please support them, go eat before/after the movies, or get a take away for collection when you’re picking up your dvd at xtravision, or do the lazy thing and order delivery.  Go go go. We need these things in Sligo, and anyone that has the nous to design a lovely logo and a great menu (food choices and the dinky size of the print) deserves the business.  

Check the menu out here  or just call them – 071-915 18 26