Last weekend we were given the opportunity to visit intu Lakeside and review one of ‘world food’ counters in the food court. It didn’t take me long to agree to this. I often shop at intu Lakeside and, well, I love to eat!

There are a variety of places to eat in the food court, but for me it was a no brainer. Thai Express. My husband and I both love Thai food (peanut satay is one of my faves). We visited a Thailand a few years ago and have loved the food ever since.

When we arrived at Thai Express we were greeted by the very friendly manager. He sat us down, gave us an overview of the menu and recommended a few dishes to try.

We tried the following dishes:

• Peanut stir fry with on fresh lettuce
• Thai green curry with chicken on steamed rice
• Pad thai with prawns
• Spring rolls

The food was delicious. Honestly. My husband even said it reminded him of the food we ate in Thailand. Ok, so we were eating Thai food, but this tasted just like the real deal. Not something I find with Thai restaurants in the UK.

My favourite dish by far was the peanut stir fry. OMG. It was amazing. I don’t eat salad. At all. I hate it. So when the manager suggested serving the peanut stir fry with lettuce I wanted to scream “nooooooooooooo” but didn’t, obviously.

However, little did I know the warm stir fry sauce would mix so wonderfully with the lettuce and I ate the lot!!

If we are being honest, we thought the menu was a little confusing. The price is difficult to see, but once explained it made sense. You pick a base to your meal, that could be curry, fried rice or a stir fry. If there is an option to choose a sauce, then you can pick to your liking. You then decide on the meat. No matter what combo you choose it’s the same price. There’s a handful of side dishes and drinks available.

Obviously I write a parenting blog so I wanted to write this review from a parents perspective, which I explained when I was chatting with the manager.

Although there is no children’s menu he was open to amending his dishes to cater for children. Less spice or sauce, simpler ingredients.

He made it clear how important it is to him that children eat freshly cooked food (he has an 11 month old), and would happily offer something for the kids to eat.

Everything at Thai Express is cooked fresh to order, and you can really tell when eating it. So if your little one only eats plain rice and chicken, then he will cook you plain rice and chicken. As long as you don’t go crazy with your requests and confuse his staff he’s happy to help!

Being in the food court means his customers are easily tempted by the burger joints, but I will say that after trying the food at Thai Express I will no longer be eating burger and fries when visiting intu Lakeside. For almost the same price as a burger meal you can indulge in a peanut satay stir fry – well that’s no brainer.

The tuk tuk at the front of the counter is pretty fun too…

This month intu Lakeside are celebrating the Big Treat – a month of fun, food, games, indulgence & more! Click here to find out more.

Alex x