Thai’d and trusted

It’s a tough time for pubs and restaurants. The rate has slowed but there are still around 40 a week closing up and down the country. Understandably, we’re tending to return to tried and trusted places – it’s risky to strike out and try something new.

The Old Bore has been around for years and we know we can arrive and be rewarded; Lisa and Scott Hessel have been around the block and in the words of the late great Cat i’th Well landlord, Steve Emsley, know how many beans make five. Scott was the youngest winner of the Roux Brothers Scholarship and is no slouch in the kitchen; down the years it’s been a given that you’re going to have a good meal at the Old Bore, and any number of Calder Valley folk have been fed very well indeed. So it’s with no small level of expectation that we walk into the pub on a warm Thursday night to check out Nam Nam, the Hessel’s latest venture – authentic Thai food. It’s Lisa’s brainchild; an opportunity presented itself when they were refurbishing the private dining area and her love of Thai food could be indulged. Two cooks (sisters Joi and Noi) lend it authenticity.

The first thing to say is that we’re the only ones in. All night. Another couple are eating in the regular dining room, and there’s a bloke drinking pints at the bar. Staff outnumber customers by some way. This is slightly tragic; no people means no atmosphere which takes away from the enjoyment of a night out. When I commiserate later with Lisa, she says that business is very unpredictable at the moment, and that it was packed the previous night. And there was me thinking that Thursday would be a safe night to guarantee getting a good idea of the “vibe”.

The room is rather starkly decorated, with dark brown leather chairs and wooden tables, bold green and gold patterned wallpaper with a few cheerful prints of eastern scenes to lighten the mood. The original stone lintel over the fireplace and a wood burning stove reminds you you’re in Yorkshire.

I’ve brought a friend who’s vegetarian and loves Thai food, promising her choice. Not on this occasion. In a list of 41 dishes, there are five veggie options, one of which is Por Pia Jay. By any other name, it’s a vegetable spring roll served with a sweet dipping sauce. It looks and tastes like any other, she says. Fine, but ordinary. I do much better with Cha La Lot, grilled mince beef rolls wrapped in Betel leaf served with vermicelli noodles, peanuts, crispy shallots and sweet spicy sauce. It’s nicely balanced, the tiny meaty bullets tender, aromatic and completely moreish – I could have demolished another plateful without pausing. It’s a dish of great beauty too, elegant and colourful, as you associate with good Thai food.

Another successful dish is Gaeng Keow Wan Pak, butternut squash and aubergine curry with kaffir lime leaves, long red chilli and basil. It’s a gorgeous colour, ‘Thai Curry Green’ (is this a Farrow and Ball shade? Should be) that rich, vibrant shade that you only see in er... Thai green curries. It has wonderful depth of flavour with layers of tastes that release those frisky endorphins into your system.

Service up to this point has been no-nonsense to the point of brisk. Perhaps I’d be a bit brief too, given the circumstances. The main courses are brought by Joy who is smiling and courteous. It’s man to man marking and I’m starting to feel sorry for them. My Moo Grob Pad Bai Kaprow is ‘an absolute must for Thai food lovers’; crispy belly pork stir fried with green beans, chilli and basil. On reflection it’s not a good choice for me; it’s not fragrant enough, lacks depth of flavour and there’s too much oil on the plate. I should have thought it through; stir-fried belly pork is going to be fatty, it stands to reason.

Sweet and sour crispy noodles (Mee Grob) accompany, and are light and nicely seasoned, although with hindsight we should have had a side dish of steamed jasmine rice to mop up the juices too. The best dish of the night? A dessert from their regular menu. Elderflower, gooseberry and lychee trifle with hot sugared doughnuts is a stunning looking pud served in a tall cocktail glass. Each component part hit my tastebuds in turn, resulting in that involuntary eye-rolling thing that happens when your head is being monkeyed around with.

But overall, I’m vaguely underwhelmed. There’s no excuse for the lack of vegetarian dishes, particularly since Thai cooking depends heavily on fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices. We send out pleas all the time for chefs to acknowledge non-meat eaters and cater for them. I recently had lunch at the Shibden Mill Inn, where half the menu was suitable for vegetarians; creative, well thought through dishes that just happened to not have meat or fish in them. How hard can it be? The Hessels’ diversification is brave. I wish them luck. The lack of customers isn’t their fault. They’re knocking themselves out trying to grow a successful business. It’s an all too familiar cri de coeur from chefs and owners. We’ve just got to hope that once people start to feel confident enough to spend money again, they’ll remember where their favourite restaurants and pubs are.

Nam Nam @ The Old Bore, Oldham Road, Rishworth, Sowerby Bridge. HX6 4QU. 01422 822291. www.namnamthai.co.uk