Search for the Green Papaya

Recently, P and I visited Ayutthaya, a Thai restaurant on Nicholson Street. I've been craving a green paw paw salad for about two years now. So, as we were passing, P nicked in to ask if it was on the Ayutthaya menu. He came out and winked. The waitress had assured him that green paw paw was available. We usually avoid east Asian food here because nothing can match that which is available to us at home, but the thought of crunchy papaya and sweet and salty dressing already had me salivating.

Unfortunately, the salad I ordered turned out to be a sort of coleslaw with fish sauce dressing. The carrot and cabbage mix failed to satisfy, despite the tasty dried shrimps and peanuts that accompanied it. So, I'm still on the look-out for a real paw paw salad and will be eternally grateful to anyone who can tell me where to find one in Scotland.

The rest of the meal was very pleasant. P's Tom yum soup was deliciously tangy, although was lacking the fistfuls of coriander that I like. The red curry was tasty but the only true glory of the whole meal was the rice. The sweet glutinous rice was served in a small grass basket. It was sticky (but not at all gluey) and there was a slight chew left in each grain. Having been seeped in coconut milk (after cooking I think) it also smelt wonderful. Unlike other coconut flavored dishes, there was no coconut fat coating left in the mouth after eating. I think I might go back just for that rice!

Ayutthaya has a website and is at 14b Nicolson Street.