Asian cuisine with a trackside location

Only in Whitby would you find green-haired Hallowe’en enthusiasts and Gothic visitors waiting for the evening train, while strobe lights made the town’s Benedictine abbey shine purple.

These were some of the sights awaiting us on a visit to Kam Thai, tucked away at the site of the former Whitby Indian Tandoori restaurant in the town centre.

Previously, Kam Thai had a harbourside home on Church Street in an old chapel which once boasted a replica of the Sistine Chapel artwork on its ceiling.

The restaurant’s newer position in the heart of the railway station at least allowed for some fairly amusing people watching, with those who arrived for the Bram Stoker Film Festival wearing Gothic attire, while drunks staggered their way along the platform hoping to be actually allowed on the train.

One criticism of the Tandoori was that it desperately needed a makeover, and the smarter, fresher look on offer at Kam Thai offers a more modern, intimate environment.

Food-wise, there is certainly no shortage of choice.

The menu, which can be downloaded in full from the website, boasts an impressive range of grilled food, curries of varying strength (look out for the jungle buster), seafood dishes , salads and food fried in a wok, while vegetarians are also well catered for.

To begin with, after the small basket of free prawn crackers, we chose the mixed platter, which is for a minimum of two people, to share, the idea being it was a good way to sample a mixture of basic Thai cuisine.

The platter offered vegetable spring rolls, chicken satay, fish cake, prawn toast and a selection of dips but I’ll be honest –for what arrived on the plate, I really don’t think it justified paying £11 for (far right).

That’s not so bad if you’re indulging in Michelin-starred cuisine but this was fairly average stuff.

I’m glad to say the main courses were an improvement.

The wife opted for chicken yellow curry, a mild dish with onion and potato in coconut milk, and a bed of coconut rice. She liked the curry, which was creamy but just spicy enough without blowing your socks off.

I decided to try one of the chef ’s specialities, the grilled sirloin beef topped with lemon- grass and special Thai herb sauce, served on a hot sizzler.

The portion of beef was huge – which it should be for £17.45 including rice – but this was a much more satisfying dish than the one which preceded it.

Our son was happy enough with his prawn toast, chicken satay, salad and fries.

We were too full to even contemplate dessert so settled up and we were presented with complimentary liquers and mints, which was a nice touch.

Overall, Kam Thai offers friendly service in a relaxing environment and if I were to go again, I would go for a curry, and without a starter.

It has enough good things going on to say it’s worth giving it a try but I felt that the food was on the average side and a little over-priced for what it was.

There are plenty of other places in Whitby where you could buy more for your money.

Kam Thai also operates a take away service with a 20% reduction on any orders over £15.

Overall rating :7.