Think of airport food and thoughts of a hastily eaten burger or a pack of sandwiches grabbed from a shop in a panic when your gate is called may come to mind. But banging Thai food? That is what’s on offer in the unlikely surroundings of the terminal building at Swansea Airport.

The Gower airport has seen plenty of sights over the years, from Hurricane fighters in World War Two to the Wales Air Ambulance helicopter and passenger planes for the short-lived Air Wales airline. Now it’s in the safe hands of Swansea Airport Stakeholders Alliance and is home to flying and skydiving clubs – and the Thai Bach Express.

Not only is Thai Bach the most brilliant name ever devised (in this corner of the world) for a Thai eatery, but it is also the provider of takeaway happiness in the form of great food. For the latest restaurant news and reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here

Venture out of Swansea and across Fairwood Common, go through the gates of the airport, and follow the road to the end – ignoring the feeling that you might be in the wrong place – and you eventually come to the white-washed terminal building and control tower. You have reached your destination.

By day the building boasts the Whirly Bird cafe serving food and drinks to airport users and hungry passers-by, but four nights a week it sees a Thai takeover offering a menu of tasty treats.

You can’t really go wrong with any of the options – all are cooked with an obvious care – but there are a few frequent flyers with the Evans family.

For starters, the prawn tom yum soup, pork dim sum, and spring rolls (all £6) all rock, but for me no visit is complete without the delicious crispy pork wontons (£6) which rarely make it onto the plate at home before they are devoured. On occasions they have been known not to survive the drive home from the airport.

For the main course there’s a nice selection of Thai curries and stir fry dishes made with a choice of Tofu, vegetable, chicken, beef, prawn or duck. Special mention here must go to the pork pad khing (£14), the beef massaman curry for those who like things mild (£14), and the chicken pad Thai (£14.50) which is rich and complex and with a hint of tanginess, and which my other half insists is the best example of the dish she has had.

The dish of choice for me is the wonderful panang curry (£14) with its bold flavours and kick of heat and which is accompanied by the kind of sticky jasmine rice which you try to cook at home but can never seem to get just right.

Is an airport a bit of a bonkers place to go for takeaway? Probably. But with food this good who cares.

And if you don’t believe me, the TripAdvisor reviewers agree. “Sensational,” wrote one. “Main courses were enormous portion… It was amazing. The simplicity and authenticity of sitting in a cafe style informal diner, being served the most incredible fresh, flavourful dishes absolutely added to the experience. VERY good value for money. We’ll be back. A lot.”