It was an unlikely place to find one of Manchester’s top-rated restaurants, in the basement of a shabby Chinatown supermarket.

But Siam Smiles won a loyal following and attracted the attention of national critics with the knockout Thai dishes it served at its unassuming old George Street site.

Even more remarkable was the fact that chef Lallalin ‘May’ Mahasrabphaisal learnt to cook the recipes that impressed the likes of the Guardian’s Marina O’Loughlin and TV cooks The Hairy Bikers not in restaurants or hotels - but on YouTube.

Despite its modest success, by March rising rents and rates in Chinatown had become ‘too much’ for May and the shop was repossessed.

It’s a testament to her reputation - and a stroke of serendipity - that she didn’t stay down for long. Her customers rallied and one regular, a property advisor, helped to hook her up with a new unit at Manchester’s Great Northern Warehouse.

In another happy twist of fate, YouTube happened to be making a film about how she taught herself to cook using its video tutorials when the café was forced to close.

The company pulled some strings and helped to kit out the new site - and May was back in business within weeks.

Based in one of the old B.Eat Street units on Deansgate Mews, the new site is undoubtedly an upgrade but still endearingly basic - just a few simple wooden tables and chairs inside and a couple of pictures hung here and there.

May and a few of her friends and family are the only other people here when we arrive for an early Friday night dinner and it feels a little like walking into their living room.

The cooking is homely and frill-free too. A Thai green curry (£9.50) is spring in a bowl, bursting with courgettes, green beans and plump prawns, and a minced pork kao pad ka prow (£8.50) sizzles with chilli and the sweet anise heat of holy basil. (It was supposed to be belly pork but that part of my order got lost in translation. Somehow it only adds to Siam Smiles’ slightly chaotic charm.)

Minced pork pad kra prow at Siam Smiles

E saan sausages (£6.95) are an acquired taste; fatty, fermented and loaded with garlic. Fried baby squid (£6.95), lightly battered with a searingly hot, slightly nutty chilli dip, are crying out for a cold beer to wash them down with on the sun-soaked terrace, but there’s no alcohol licence yet. Nor is there a card machine - although they do take PayPal.

Fried baby squid at Siam Smiles

All in good time, though. There’s still plenty here to smile about - not least the bill at just over £33.

It’s easy to see why May’s customers weren’t willing to give this food up without a fight.

Rating

Food 4/5

Service 3/5

Atmosphere 3/5

Overall 10/15