Nestled in one of the more attractive streets of Bethnal Green, Thai Garden has been serving up seafood and vegetarian food for over 20 years.

The Venue
Thai Vegetable Patch may be more apt – it's tiny, seating no more than 20 people. Large windows, white walls and a clean fresh interior mean the room doesn’t feel cramped, whilst the decor is simple and tasteful, with some really lovely photography on the wall. One slightly odd element comes from a certificate for 'Time Out best vegetarian meal award, 1991'; perhaps a rightly proud achievement at the time but after 20 years, it might be time to move on.

The Atmosphere
As the room is small, you are in close proximity to your fellow diners but Thai Garden have arranged the seating so it doesn’t feel claustrophobic. The close quarters do have the advantage of letting you nose at other's plates - something that helps you navigate the somewhat extensive menu. Quite a few of the customers seem to know the staff so there's a nice and cosy local feel to a room that bustles nicely, filled with diners enjoying a casual meal. Service can be a little slow initially, but once orders are placed things become more efficient.

The Food
The menu is split into two sections: vegetarian and seafood. The seafood dishes rely heavily on the mighty prawn - making up a good 50% of the seafood side of the menu. The scallop and prawn (of course) skewers are a disappointment, and fellow diners tucking into vegetable tempura appear to have made a much better choice - food envy at such close quarters is a bitter pill to swallow. The scallops are cooked perfectly (plump and melt in the mouth), but the dish has a complete lack of seasoning, not even extending to some simple soy sauce. The only nod to the notion of flavour comes from raw chilli rubbed all over the fish, adding nothing but pretty unpleasant heat. The skewers are finished off with raw peppers and a cold cherry tomato – all in all quite a baffling mix which doesn't come together at all.

Main courses are a mixture. Casting your eye around the room it appears the most popular dishes are all those usual Thai suspects; think red and green curries, pad Thais and vegetable stir-fries. It's easy to see why, too; the red prawn curry at £7 is simply perfect. Delicious, rich, creamy sauce with a good amount of spice and lovely freshness from kaffir lime sits atop a generous helping of huge prawns. The sticky rice is similarly impressive, it's satisfying and more-ish, and served in lovely delicate baskets. Unfortunately one of the priciest, and most promising sounding dishes on the menu (sliced tuna loin in a spicy sauce - £9), fails to deliver. The tuna is criminally overcooked resulting in chewy, dry fish, which is a real shame as the flavours are delicious – sweet, spicy and fresh. If it were correctly cooked this dish could be stunning, but alas, it's a bit of a mess.

The Drink
A selection of Thai beers are served in some very pretty Tiger Beer glasses, and cold enough to induce brain freeze. There's also a very reasonable and varied wine list ranging from house wine at £11, up to a reasonably priced Chablis at £19. The house is available in half bottle servings for £5.95 and they also have a good selection of spirits all priced at £2.50.

The Last Word
Be wary of adventurous ordering - stick to the curries and usual suspects and Thai Garden offers a good meal. Unfortunately, it somehow manages to stumble on the seafood dishes - a surprise considering this is where they are supposed to specialise.

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