From Thai Highs to Murder Mystery Lows 🍜🔪
Curry, Catch-Ups & Culinary Regret at Zaap Thai Manchester 🍽️
Trying to align diaries with my brother Ty (aka Tyrone) is no small feat. With hectic schedules and limited downtime, we rarely get a chance to link up, except when our birthdays roll around. Born just five days apart in September, we always try to carve out some time to celebrate. This year, after several failed attempts, we finally locked in a date. I was heading back from London (fresh from seeing my little brother make his debut on Big Brother—proud sibling moment), and Ty had a rare day off.
With the when sorted, we needed the where. Ty’s a big fan of Thailand, so I thought we’d pay homage to his travels—and my love of a good pun—with a visit to Zaap Thai in Manchester. The newly opened spot was offering a great value £15 lunch deal: two courses and a soft drink. Not bad.
We arrived to vibrant décor—neon signs, tuk-tuk vibes & a bustling atmosphere that gave a small taste of Bangkok street food culture. To start, we snacked on prawn crackers with sweet chilli dip while eyeing up the set menu.
I ordered the spring rolls followed by Thai green chicken curry. Ty went with gyozas & also the Thai green curry. Or so I thought.
After placing the order, he sheepishly admitted he actually wanted the Pad Thai but didn’t go for it because the menu only listed it with tofu. I let him know you can get it with chicken too (at no extra cost). He quickly flagged down our server to swap his dish & to her credit, she did her best to check, though her glance toward the kitchen suggested it might be tight. Seconds later, both starters and mains arrived—clearly this place runs like clockwork!
The food? Solid. We did a little trade: one spring roll for one gyoza. I definitely won the starter round—Ty admitted it too. The Thai green curry was rich, fragrant & had just the right level of heat. Ty's chicken Pad Thai, while tasty, gave him mild food envy—he openly regretted his last-minute switch. 2-0.
Fast, flavourful & budget-friendly—Zaap Thai is a great shout if you're craving Thai without committing your whole afternoon to it. Bonus: I left feeling victorious in my menu choices.
Murder, Mistaken Identity & Musty Vibes in Sheffield 🕵️‍♂️🧅
Some months back, my brother Ainsley bought a Murder Mystery Dinner in Sheffield through Murder Mystery Events. But with a newborn & a new home in the mix, life got understandably chaotic. With no refund option, he kindly passed the experience onto myself & Beck.
After some back-and-forth, we finally picked a Friday night for the experience: “Better By Nun”, set in Medieval England. We were promised nuns, monks, mysterious deaths & a chance to solve a whodunit at the fictional “Village of Pratt's Bottom”. The pre-event email confirmed date, time, venue & let me pre-select our three-course meal:
Starter: Goat’s cheese tart
Main: Chicken supreme with veg & potatoes
Dessert: Vanilla cheesecake
Beck matched my picks—no menu envy this time.
We pulled up to Kenwood Hall Hotel in Sheffield, an impressive-looking venue from the outside… but once inside, a strong musty scent greeted us. Not ideal. After getting directions from reception, I confidently pretended to know where I was going & (somehow) found the right room.
We grabbed drinks—OJ for me (stay sharp) and something stronger for Beck— & soon realised we were underdressed. Quite a few guests had gone all in on the fancy dress (think full monk and nun regalia). A quick email re-check confirmed: yep, there was a costume competition. Oops.
To add to the oddness, the small welcome room got cramped quickly & sat directly across from a funeral wake. Beck thought it was part of the show at first. It wasn’t.
Eventually, the costumed actors arrived & herded us into a larger function room where we were split into teams. We proudly dubbed ours “Clueless”, which, as it turned out, was prophetic.
The night rolled on with intermittent performances between meal courses. The food wasn’t great—the tart was passable, the chicken was bland, veg hard & the cheesecake a little odd. The storyline was hard to follow & the smell still lingered. Only one team guessed the killer— & even they got the motive wrong. As for us? We lived up to our team name & were awarded the booby prize: a bottle of Lucozade. Classic.
Most of our table were staying in Sheffield, but we made a swift exit back to Manchester. Slightly underwhelming? Sure. But at least we’ve got the story.
🍴 The Takeaways:
✅ Zaap Thai is a colourful, quick, and tasty stop for affordable Thai food in Manchester—perfect for a casual catch-up.
❌ Murder Mystery Sheffield served up more confusion than suspense — & unless you’re into medieval cosplay & underwhelming food, you’re probably better off sticking to Manchester.
Till the next bite,
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