Tiger Rock, Smithdown Road, rated

I think Southeast Asian restaurants tend to pop up exactly where they are needed. Whether it’s a Vietnamese restaurant in a Cheshire town that has become an unofficial Italian outpost, or a takeaway that’s transforming a sleepy village’s Friday nights. Although Smithdown Road already has two Thai kitchens in Lemongrass and Mayuree, there is a long way to go and there are more than enough students.

Smithdown didn’t have more of the “everything under one roof” approach common to street markets in Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong. Call it Pad Thais ‘R’ Us.

Tiger Rock clearly found a theme and stuck to it. There’s a dominant blue-green hue and frescoes of ferocious tigers, passingly reminiscent of Rousseau’s tigers caught in a tropical storm. All this makes for a handsome interior and has facilitated the restaurant’s expansion to two other locations in the city.

There were tables to sit at, but I decided a seat at the bar would be more than adequate. If anything I preferred it. Not all kitchens lend themselves to more informal seating arrangements, perched high on bar stools or – alternatively – slouched two meters off the floor. But I figured I wasn’t going to order a huge curry or tear through 70 spring rolls. I arrived with a succession of small plates in mind.

Conveniently tucked away in the bar, I had a pint of Cobra to explore, I flicked through the menu, a neat and simple offering split into four parts; small plates, small bowls, salads and vegetables and sides. More than enough to make up Southeast Asian dishes.

I decided not to order everything at once, preferring to work my way up the scale, starting with something my appetite would definitely be drawn to if I could find it on the menu; soft shell crab.

This was crispy chilli soft-shell crab (£9.80) tossed with plenty of well-dressed lettuce, plenty of cilantro and some particularly angry-looking chillies with their seeds. If you’re afraid of spices, you’re in the wrong place. The crispy chili coating was dark and warming, well-seasoned and, like anything with decent spiciness, more than a little habit-forming. The crab was fresh, crunchy and carried the accompanying spice wonderfully. A great start to any small plates carousel, and if anything it only made me greedier.

I just couldn’t have left without trying the Tom Yam Gai (£6.50), a hot and sour chicken soup that I would happily eat for breakfast and lunch every single day. Such is the refreshing kick of spice with this dish that you feel like a new person after eating it, so I thought it would be perfect next in line; somehow both a palette cleanser and rightfully one of the centerpieces of a Thai or Southeast Asian meal. Just the right size portion, it didn’t go over me but left me completely satisfied. Plus, you can always order another one.

Continuing on the road less travelled, I again opted for Nasi Goreng, Thai Green Curry or even the mighty tempting Laksa Mee, a Singaporean Chicken Coconut Noodle Soup with a rich fish sauce (although I will definitely have to go back for that). ) Instead I comfortably ate one of my favorite dishes from this side of the globe, Som Tam – a Thai papaya carrot salad with chilli, peanut and a generous amount of fish sauce (£7.50).

This was exactly what I hoped it would be; incredibly fresh and crunchy papaya and carrot slightly marinated in fish sauce, and rich chili sailing down the straits of sour fish sauce, all combining to beat the crap out of your taste buds. How on earth something that is 99% fruits and vegetables can create this is one of those mysteries I like to leave unsolved.

I paired the salad with something rich enough, but not on top of each other, so I chose the grilled chicken satay skewers (€7.80 for four). They were properly charred, consisting of juicy and not overcooked thigh meat, which is always better than the cheesy, scallop-like pieces of chicken breast you can sometimes end up with at other places. Personally, I would have liked a little more spices, but regardless, they were certainly well made. The satay could have been bolder, and I know peanut is a one-note flavor, but underneath that dominant nutty note, there’s room for spicy notes. It would go well with a salad, but in hindsight I would have. maybe went for one of the more interesting looking fish dishes like grilled sea bass with tamarind chilli sauce.

Tiger Rock is a smart, concise exercise in giving the people what they want. It’s a varied but not over the top menu that allows for travel outside the likes of Bangkok. If you only travel as far as Smithdown Road, you’ll go a long way.

Tiger Rock607 Smithdown Road, L15 5AG