Mays Thai restaurant is a hidden gem across the board in terms of flavour, experience and celebrity appeal.
The restaurant sits on the outskirts of Childwall, neatly nestled beside several other independent businesses. Due to its location, you could miss it entirely.
The exterior is a chic, all-black aesthetic that makes Mays Thai look like a luxurious experience before you even step foot inside. Its Instagram page often shares pictures of its celebrity customers, so we were expecting big things.
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Everyone from Steven Gerrard and Rangers' John Lundstram, to professional boxer JJ Metcalf have walked through the doors.
The staff were friendly and attentive from the moment we arrived. The feeling of luxury outdoors translates to the interior with a waterfall welcome, cosy forest-green panels and exposed brickwork, illuminated by neon signs and warm, hanging, overhead lights.
Although the inside is what you would consider cosy when it comes to space, it's enough to not be cramped or overcrowded, and with enough room to have personal conversations with your party.
A lot of care went into the preparation of the restaurant. The aesthetic and decor are more nods to Thai culture, with touches like "sawade ka" - a Thai welcome - placed on the wall. Although we visited midday in June, I couldn't help but feel it'd be the perfect, cosy date for Autumn given the overall appearance and atmosphere.
As my partner and I looked through the menu, we were pleasantly surprised by the range on offer. Everything from classics like pad Thai and fish cakes were available but unfamiliar items like larb gai (stir fry chicken marinated in lime leaf, crushed chilli, and mint) and Mays' famous holy basil sauce (holy basil leaf with chilli, onions, and holy basil sauce) are what caught my eye.
I chose prawn tempura (£6.95) to begin with and the larb gai (£9.95), as hot as possible, as my main. My partner opted for the chicken tom yum soup (£8.95) and chicken holy basil (£8.95). After we eagerly ordered and awaited our food, we took a moment to relax in the venue and really take it all in.
It was quieter than you'd like for a restaurant but expected for the time we visited. The staff were attentive but not overbearing, nor did they remain stood in silence while the food was being prepared. There was never an uncomfortable silence because everyone at least looked like they created a job to focus on and understood when to reappear as needed. Traits like this may seem small but they make or break a customer experience and thankfully, the mood at May's Thai Restaurant couldn't be faulted.
Our food arrived without much of a wait and almost immediately my partner and I locked eyes at each other after it was set. There was a lot of it. Not too much we would struggle to finish but far more than we initially expected for what was an affordable price.
The starters disappeared as fast as they arrived and before long, the mains were on the table. Because of the price point and previous experience in Thai restaurants, we actually ordered a side of glass noodles and rice which we failed to finish given the feast before us. The mains were filling enough you could eat without an appetiser or side and you'd be good to go for the remainder of the day, all without breaking £10.
The food itself was so flavourful and well done you could taste every spice and ingredient thrown in there. Every other mouthful was met with compliments on the food and how much we were enjoying it. After sampling each other's plates, everything presented before us was declared excellent and we couldn't fault the feast.
As much as we tried, we couldn't finish everything we ordered but we desperately wanted to because of how good it all was. After we wrapped up and paid, we made the clear decision to return either during Autumn when we suggested or more than likely, in a few days when we are dying for more.
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