Chilli Pot, North John St, Liverpool

Another rainy weekend in Liverpool, another day spent inside eating, drinking and not doing much else. I'm making the best of the bad situation that is this Great British Summer and dedicating it to the pursuit of business lunches and not eating picnics on Southport Beach. Finding a business lunch on a weekend can be rare as hens' teeth but thanks to a tip from my friend, I discovered the Chilli Pot in Liverpool city centre does a cracking 2 course deal with a drink for £8.90. Chilli Pot is a Thai restaurant and after a recent bellybuster in Allerton's Siam Garden, I was dubious about trying another Thai in case it didn't match up. Vindaloo Queen and Thai cuisine have had a tempestuous relationship with some establishments giving me fish based sauce so it was rare to find one that delivered the goods.

Chilli Pot is a clean, modern, friendly eaterie with professional, knowledgeable staff and enough space to ensure privacy during your meal. To start, I ordered veggie spring rolls- the portion consisted of 2 small, skinny springies and wasn't exactly overwhelming. They seemed a bit lonely on their bed of lettuce on the huge plate- for this reason, it became obvious why so many people love all you can eat buffets. Mind you, they were tasty and not swimming in grease like that abomination the Shangri-La.

My main course was vegetarian Pad Ped- a delicious concoction of spicy veg, served with boiled rice. Tasty? Yes, it was a healthy lunch, not greasy and bursting with flavour. Memorable? No. A bit bog standard to be memorable, full marks for presentation but it didn't leave a lasting impression. The portion size was small, even for a little thing like me so I think grown men, especially the Carnivores would come here and stop for chips on the way home. Great for dieters and the sushi brigade, but for the rest of us with voracious appetites, it falls a bit flat.


                                                    *******************

The good- clean surroundings and friendly staff
The bad- portion size