Copyright cambridge-news
Newnham was recently named one of the best place to live in Cambridgeshire by Muddy Stilettos and one of the reasons why the area is so popular is because of the selection of restaurants and cafés found there. Even if the average house price in Newnham is well over £1 million, you don't need to spend that much to get some good food. CamBites is a series where my colleague, Siobhan Middleton, and I go around Cambridgeshire looking for the best food spots that are still reasonably priced. Sala Thong is a small Thai restaurant where you can get tasty dishes at an affordable price. The restaurant can be found surrounded by other food spots including the modern café, Bean Theory, and two pubs that overlook Mill Pond, MillWorks and The Granta. Even though it doesn't have the same stunning views, Sala Thong is still first choice for many people looking for a meal in Newnham. I arrived at the restaurant not too long after it had opened for lunch and it is a good thing I did, as within about 10 minutes, Sala Thong was almost full with people coming from work for a quick break and groups of friends catching up over a bowl of noodles. The restaurant has a very homely feel with rustic tables and chairs and matching light blue decorations dotted around. Sala Thong's menu has plenty to choose from with a range of stir fries, soups, and curries, many of which are under £15. I decided to go for the stir fried ribbon noodles, which cost only £12.90. Even though the restaurant was packed with people, my meal was served quickly and was piping hot. The chicken and vegetables were piled on the dish and I had to dig underneath all of the toppings to get to the thick noodles. The noodles were just chewy enough and melted in my mouth with the crunchy and aromatic strips of onion adding some extra flavour to the dish. The vegetables thrown into the dish included slices of carrot, courgette, and cabbage that helped to bring different textures and a fresh feel to the meal. The chicken was thinly sliced and tender with plenty of the umami sauce covering it. The restaurant was very generous with the amount of egg added into the dish with huge chunks of scrambled egg mixed in with the noodles. However, I wished I had added on a fried egg to my meal as well for an extra £1.30 after spotting another customer with one and immediately being envious of its crispy and bubbly texture. The menu also featured an array of starters that I would have loved to have tried such as prawn tempura, crispy squid, and chicken satay. The noodle dish was ideal for a quick lunch if you fancy a treat during the workday. Sala Thong would also be a great place to visit with friends and family so you can share a range of the dishes on offer. I will definitely be returning to Sala Thong to try more of its dishes and as an excuse to walk around Newnham some more. Sala Thong can be found at 35 Newnham Road and is open everyday for lunch from 12pm to 3pm and in the evenings, from 5.30pm to 9pm on Sundays to Thursdays and from 5.30pm to 9.0pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
