839 Mt Eden Road,
Mt Eden
Auckland,


(09) 638 6758

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3 out of 5 stars

Four months after closing its doors to customers, Lanna Thai has re-opened its double glass doors on Mt Eden Rd with little celebration and fanfare.

The fully licensed bar and Thai restaurant had been a feature on Mt Eden Rd between Mt Albert and Balmoral Roads for just over a year before a gas leak sparked a fire which caused significant damage to the restaurant and kitchen part of the property. The owners were determined to finish the subsequent refurbishment before Christmas and its peak trading time of year.

It took four months, but the hired help delivered with Lanna Thai open again for business as usual this month (October 2008). Unwittingly my partner and I booked in for a meal just 24 hours after the owners opened with the new interior for customers. This explained the overwhelmingly warm reception and smiles of genuine ‘thanks for coming’ when we walked in to the nearly empty restaurant.

Before the fire, Lanna Thai had built a solid reputation for serving quality food delivered by hospitable, friendly and courteous staff. Fortunately none of this has been destroyed and left in the ashes - the waiting staff continue to be very welcoming and gracious despite the recent misfortune.

There weren’t many other diners the Saturday night we ate in, but there were a growing number of phone orders for take-away meals. The eating area ambience was lacking only because there wasn’t much laughter from other diners, but the interior design of the villa with silk tablecloths, linen napkins, wall tapestries and hangings from Thailand enhanced the environment to make the experience more than pleasant.

There’s a fully stocked bar with wine and champagne on offer by the glass and bottle and also a range of Kiwi and imported beer. There’s also a decent cocktail list for those feeling a little more festive.

The menu has all the Thai favourites and an evolving specials board. Vegetarians are well catered for here too. It had been a fair few hours since lunch, so we quickly ordered a starter, Kanom Pung Na Goong (fried bread topped with minced prawns and pork, $7.50). We then took some time debating if we should sway from the usual Pad Thai or not. We decided to sway and went for Neau Kra-Ta (sizzling beef with oyster sauce and seasonal vegetables, $18) and prawns in tamarind sauce from the specials menu.

Our meals were prompt and tasty, although the tamarind sauce a little too sweet for my partner’s liking, and the servings generous enough to fill the both of us with three servings of rice.

Foot traffic was minimal outside Lanna Thai, but with plenty of on-street parking it could just be worth the drive down Mt Eden Rd to find and try. It just might become your new favourite.