The team from The Wrestlers have now taken over The Shed in the village of Lode!

Don’t panic, their restaurant at The Wrestlers on Newmarket Road is still open. I know this will be a huge relief to many, as The Wrestlers is one of the most popular Thai restaurants in Cambridge, thanks to their offering of authentic Thai cuisine. This is very exciting news for the Cambridge restaurant scene, especially the residents of Lode, who will now have a highly reputable Thai restaurant on their doorstep.

The new venue is absolutely beautiful, with high ceilings, lots of light, and a huge bar along the back. Speaking to the gentleman serving me, he says this extra space has given them enough space to put in some authentic Thai decorations. I will always have a soft spot for The Wrestlers pub but it has always felt like a dark and claustrophobic old English pub, that didn’t quite capture the magic of Thailand. Pattaya, however, feels much more like it 🇹🇭

The menu

The menu is simple and streamlined, with all your classic Thai dishes. Curries, noodles, stirfry, soups, and salads. Each dish has the option of chicken, beef, pork, king prawns, seafood and vegetables, that range from between £11.95-14.95. It isn’t a huge menu but has enough on there for a majority of people. Speaking with my guest, we agreed that we would prefer a restaurant that focuses on doing a limited menu really well rather than having a large menu with inconsistencies.

The beer selection isn’t overly inspiring but Estrella Galicia did the trick. It would have been nice to have a light and crispy Thai beer on tap to match the flavours of their cuisine but I was happy enough with this.

There were two of us in total, so we ordered three mains, because that is just the sort of crazy guys we are 😂 We picked the ‘lemon sauce stir fry’, the ‘red Thai curry’, and the ‘pud Thai’.

Red Thai Curry

The red Thai curry was absolutely beautiful. It was so thick and creamy, almost like a coconut based tomato soup. We ordered it with beef that was not only a generous portion in the dish but was nice and tender. The dish was mildly spicy with the peas, green beans and mixed peppers which added some colour and flavour.

Stir Fry with Lemon Sauce

We ordered this dish with chicken, as we thought it would compliment the lemon sauce – and we were right to do so. This was a complex dish filled with a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, ranging from peppers, pineapple, mangetout, carrots, onions, and spring onions. The lemon gave it a lovely citrusy sourness that gradually turned sweeter as the pineapple soaked into the sauce, making it a dish with a flavour that evolved throughout your dining experience. Everything tasted fresh and crispy, with big chunks of juicy chicken that were perfect for getting your teeth into.

Pud Thai

Probably my favourite dish of the evening was the pud Thai. This dish is made with noodles in a home-made pud Thai sauce, with egg, cabbage, carrot, spring onion, and bean sprouts. We ordered it with king prawns that were incredibly fat and juicy, while also being cooked to perfection. The dish comes with a small pot of nuts and chillies, giving you the freedom to make it extra crunchy or spicy, depending on your mood. It was an excellent take on the iconic Thai dish.

This dish is available as a kid option for £7.30.

Conclusion

The bill was cheaper than I was expecting, making Pattaya a great value restaurant, while also offering the same high quality Thai cuisine we have all come to expect from The Wrestlers.

The venue is fantastic and is easily accessible with free parking on site (and residential parking on the street outside). It is also open for lunch Tuesday to Sunday 12-3, which I was also not expecting.

The staff are incredibly enthusiastic and chatty, adding a friendly atmosphere to our experience that made all the difference.

Lode has really lucked out with this one. Not bad for a small village!

Thanks for reading.