The Original Thai Restaurant

Rating: 2

We ate dinner here in August 2026.

Peanut satay chicken
Thick red curry beef
Roti
Rice

It can be quite intimidating when you realise that you’ve walked into a local fixture unprepared, unknowing, wide-eyed and not expecting to see multiple hugs handed out, several different instances of plans made between customer and proprietor, and promises to return left, right, and centre.

But you also love to see it, it’s like watching wild animals who don’t know that David Attenborough is just over there filming them. You get to see the native Island Bayers in their habitat, free, just living their best lives. Their best lives are at The Original Thai Restaurant and they have been since 1993. Unreal, what longevity. We wondered how they had done it, until we saw the owner just straight vibing with every single patron. We’ve never even noticed this place befoire, but we felt special and valued.

They have a dark secret, however. There’s a minimum charge per person, a minimum charge that is just above the price of almost every dish on the menu. They have upsold almost every single person who walked in the door. But the owner is so friendly, so funny, so energetic, that you leave feeling like it was worth it anyway just to see him do the monkey dance and crack jokes all night.

The food was only okay. Despite winning a Dominion Post award for great value in the year 2000, things have slipped in the intervening 26 years. When the meals came, we thought they were actually pretty small. This, and the $30 minimum charge, were why basically everybody except us ordered both entree and main.

We appreciated being served rice Mum-style from the big silver pot, it gave a lovely friendly vibe. But the flavours were so-so, there was unwelcome surprise pineapple in the chicken dish, and The Fee-Rex got some gristle to boot.

Bookings recommended.