The Bangkok Cafe on Dominion Road wasn’t our intended destination, but the small family run Thai restaurant is exactly where my partner and I found ourselves one particular Saturday night.

To be honest, we were actually looking for a nearby Chinese restaurant, but when we couldn’t get a table there we ambled up the road and came across Bangkok Cafe. Looking in we saw smiling staff, plates of food and chatty patrons who seemed to be enjoying themselves. The happy scene looked appealing and the food looked appertising so we decided to dine there instead of waiting for a table to be free at the original restaurant.

The Bangkok Cafe isn’t a large place and doesn’t take up much shop space. There’s probably room for about eight different parties, or 20 people in total. It is amicably decorated inside, but not over the top which is lucky because there is little room for decorative extras. It seemed to be rush hour when we walked in and took one of the last vacant tables, but throughout the night there was also a constant stream of diners coming for take-aways and phone orders.

Service started well, with iced water and menus delivered in no time, but we did encounter a slight hiccup through the night when our beef yellow curry order arrived with chicken instead. Still, the service was pleasant enough and I found it difficult to hold a grudge against the otherwise smiling, efficient and friendly service.

The menu selection here is good with plenty of curries, rice and noodle dishes to tempt you with seafood, duck and the usual pork, chicken or beef options. And although the restaurant is BYO, the wine, beer and spirit list is good enough for those like us who didn’t come prepared.

We started with prawn toast before our main dishes of beef - sorry chicken - curry ($17) and pad thai ($16) were served. Although our meal started off well with the prawn toast hitting the spot, both my partner and I found the curry and pad thai somewhat bland and lacking in punch.

Perhaps it was just our selection, as the diners around us seemed pleased with their meals, or perhaps we were already tainted by the mix-up of beef and chicken. Either way, it is rare we both feel a little let down in our choices so maybe there is some validity in that. Despite the disappointment, the remainder of the dining experience was reasonably pleasant and the high patronage suggests this restaurant is popular with the locals who know what to order.

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