THEY don't usually see me for dust at the weekends, so I thought I would use the dining out review as an opportunity to put some time in with the parents. In fact I even let them choose the venue.

My mum wanted to go to the Thai House restaurant on Keighley Road, Skipton, as she had heard good things about it but had not yet paid it a visit.

So I reserved a table for 7.30pm on a Friday night and when we arrived we had the pick of the restaurant's tables.

We sat by the window, which gave us a good view over the busy Keighley Road and meant my dad could give his usual running commentary on who was walking/driving past.

My parents and I were the only ones in the restaurant at this point and it stayed that way until the next diners arrived at 8pm.

The waitress, who brought our menus and waited on us all night, was lovely, helpful and her service was faultless.

The restaurant itself is has a really quiet, calming atmosphere - so we made sure we kept our voices down.

My mum and dad decided to share a Thai House mixed appetiser (for two), which comprised a mound of tasty items like prawn toast, spring rolls and deep fried vegetables.

They both said there was "more than enough for two" which I interpreted as an invitation to help them out after I'd finished my own starter of Thai fish cakes.

These were minced fish blended with beans, limes, chillies and spices and came with a sweet and sour sauce. They were a real treat for the pallet.

Next came the main courses. While ordering my mum and I had smirked when my dad, like a heat seeking missile, had managed to locate the only - or one of very few - dish on the menu with chips.

To make matters worse this was a steak - albeit with a Thai twist. Anyway my dad stood by his decision and thoroughly enjoyed it. He even branched out and tried a bit of my mum's chicken stir fry and noodles.

He was not as keen as my mum, who really liked it but struggled to get through it and its accompanying mound of noodles. No problem with portion sizes here.

I had the similar "problem" with my Thai red curry, which I ordered medium strength and with steamed rice. It was both flavoursome and filling.

But it was not that filling that I couldn't sample a dessert. Most appeared to have a banana, coconut or ice cream theme, which did not entice either my dad or myself.

Fortunately they were offering a good old classic - toffee cheesecake - so we could indulge.

My only criticism of the dessert was that it seeemed supermarket bought. The minute I tucked in, I suspected it was the same one (Morrison's I think) that regularly graces our dining table on a Sunday afternoon.

Still, it was tasty and it's not as if the menu proclaimed it was homemade.

We finished with three coffees - one of them Tia Maria - and it rounded off a really enjoyable meal.

The bill for the meal came to £77.90, which included two bottles of red wine.

The Thai House comes highly recommended. For me, Thai food is far tastier than Chinese or Indian.

As we left we picked up takeaway menus and will probably be back soon with the rest of the clan.

Jenny Speak