SARA’S Thai Cuisine is a bit off the beaten track as far as restaurants in Southampton go.

But it’s well worth making the effort to head to Portswood for this great little restaurant.

To call the menu extensive doesn’t really cover it. There are more than 70 main courses to choose from including a good vegetarian selection and in excess of 40 starters for you to dither over.

No wonder my hungry boyfriend felt the need to tuck into two bowls of spicy prawn crackers while he made his mind up!

Even as a vegan I struggled to pick, so rather than make a proper decision about my starter I opted for the mixed vegetarian option.

I was slightly embarrassed at the mountain of food that arrived: a gorgeous sweet corn cake, tofu and mushroom satay, a spring roll and tempura vegetables, and I have to admit that I didn’t manage to eat it all, delicious as it was.

My boyfriend went for the more modest starter of soup – tom yam gai. Again, his portion was on the large side, though not as huge as mine! This spicy chicken soup with mushrooms and chilli was beautifully fragrant with a spiciness coming through that was pitched perfectly.

For my main I went for ginger tofu, which came with mushrooms, and steamed jasmine rice.

I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed as I like tofu to be really crispy and this was quite soft. It was tasty though and I managed to tuck it away despite the huge starter.

My boyfriend had a green king prawn curry. The prawns were, he said, really succulent and the dish had just the right amount of chilli.

The restaurant has a nice, friendly atmosphere. I was a bit bemused by the eclectic pop music CD playing everything from Akon to The Lighthouse Family but it didn’t detract from the comfortable feel of the restaurant. Bright and smart, it’s the kind of place you could go for a posh meal if you were looking to impress someone or just if you wanted to treat yourself to a nice night out.

The staff were all very friendly and the service was swift without us ever feeling hassled.

Our bill for two came in at under £40 – we left full, happy and looking forward to returning soon.

273 Portswood Road, Southampton 023 8067 6063