The Crazy Bear in Stadhampton is an interesting place to stay, for all the right reasons. It’s a lovely, unique place to stay, where unbridled creativity has been given free rein to create something truly different.
As part of their offering, the Crazy Bear has a Thai restaurant, which we tried a little while ago. It shares the same creative decoration as the hotel, but with an oriental twist. The richly decorations, vibrant colour scheme, metal circular tables and comfy chairs make it a must-see if you’re in the area.
Our meal began with shrimp crackers with sweet chilli dipping sauce while we pondered the varied menu.
Our starter was a sharing platter that included vegetable spring rolls, king prawn parcels, port and prawn dumplings and pork satay. Each was hot, tasty and very nice indeed. The batters were dry and crispy and worked very well with their fillings.
"The service was great, the food excellent, the ingredients fresh and everything was as it should be."
Main course consisted of green Thai chicken curry and wok fried tiger prawns. The Thai chicken curry came with bamboo shoots, kaffir lime leaves, basil, chilli, coconut milk and spring onion. It was served with boiled sticky rice. The curry was hot, but not overbearing. The milk cooled it enough to make it thoroughly enjoyable.
The wok fried tiger prawns came with spring onion, black pepper and garlic and was served with white crab and shrimp fried rice. The tiger prawns were fresh, a good size and perfectly prepared. They worked very well with the onions and pepper and the combination of seafood in the rice gave the entire dish a well-rounded feel.
Both the main courses were fresh, tasty, well cooked and quite satisfying. Thai food is delicate and needs a steady hand to cook right. This was spot on.
We had a dessert tasting menu to finish, which included strawberry knickerbocker glory, a white chocolate cone, treacle tart with cream and a salted butter caramel. Each came with a range of ice cream, Oxfordshire cream and shortbread, making it a sweet delight.
The Crazy Bear has a lovely Thai restaurant. The service was great, the food excellent, the ingredients fresh and everything was as it should be. We would happily visit here again.