Blue Cobra lays claim to reflecting the opulence of the gastronomic heritage of South East Asia, and closer examination of their operation lends credibility to that statement, starting with the colourful front of house and the spacious, airy restaurant and lounge bar areas.

Cuisine covers a wide range of Thai and Bengali dishes, both enjoying increasing popularity in UK as those who really care about interesting eating become more exploratory and discerning.

Lovers of seafood will rejoice to know that this is taken seriously at Blue Cobra, with appetisers of skewered tiger fish soaked in a Bengali marinade, skewered with cayenne peppers and grilled over charcoal. No menu of this kind would be complete without Tom Yam, which can also serve as a main course. Amongst the shellfish look for langoustines grilled in the shell before being covered with hot, spicy Thai sauce of aromatic herbs and coconut milk.

Moving on to seafood main courses the soft shell crab dish is served with oyster mushrooms. The potak is a riot of seafood in their Thai chef's green spicy sauce, with lemongrass, lime leaves and coconut milk

Bengali seafood features a number of special seafood creations, of which the seafood bhuna, an infusion of King scollops, squid, cuttle fish and tiger fish is prepared in a an exceptional stock with a medium blend of bhuna spices and herbs.

Bengali and Thai banquets speak for themselves, with King prawn grill massala and beef nam-man hoi included as special treats; then both cuisines combine to offer a splendid Eastern Safari, a gourmet feast across the Bay of Bengal with an Eastern version of the mixed grill containing King prawns, duck breast, venison and escalopes of chicken sizzling away with herbed sweet peppers and red onion. Side dishes include special noodles, Thai egg rice, lemon rise and stuffed naan breads.

For those who like their prawn crackers - and who can resist them - the traditional Thai version are available, with prawns on toast, spicy chicken niblets, a fish parcel, baked vegetables and baby calamari acting as other attractive appetisers.

Some dishes will forever be associated with particular cuisines and when we think of Thai, roasted duck comes to mind, beef jungle curry, a hearty rustic dish with slices of marinated beef cooked in mixed spices, with a red hot chilli bite to it, lightly tinged with fresh lemon and hot basil. Stir-fried Thai vegetables make an excellent vegetarian dish, also the green bamboo shoots cooked with bean sprouts and other vegetables.

Bengali highlights offer the Blue Cobra supreme breast of chicken, aromatic duckling and rainforest venison marinated in tamarind and rare spices and extra virgin oil. Cinnamon chicken is a mild succulent dish that speaks for itself and is, so they say, guaranteed to melt in the mouth.

Service is friendly and efficient and for nearby companies with people in a hurry at lunchtime a luncheon club is available, with 10% discount on the food on presentation of a company ID card. They do a great business in take-aways as well as parties and special occasions.

Check out their Website for details of corporate dining, conferences and on-line ordering.