Within walking distance of our house is Chao Phraya which is a Thai restaurant. We went there not long after opening and I was reasonably impressed without being blown away but my wife didn’t like it so much.

Anyway we decided after a year or so it was time to take a revisit to the Windsor Park site. On entry we realised they have included a new elevated table which is in a secluded section in the middle of the room designed like a Thai hut.

The service is always friendly but I never expect anything less from Thai restaurants, they always seem happy to serve their guests.

To the food, the menu is predictably large with many dishes seeming to be the same but with a different protein and there is plenty to choose, even for my vegetarian wife.

I went for a delicious entrée of Tom Yum Galay which is a hot and spicy soup with prawns, scallops, mussels and squid. My wife had a mixed vegetarian entrée platter which although all the items on the platter were made in house they were only lukewarm; this was a shame because they tasted good.

One other good thing to point out is their house wines are really cheap, either by the bottle or the glass and they are not nasty wines either, they are well known New Zealand brands. Chao Praya also do not charge extra on public holidays.

Next onto the mains. My wife had Tofu Pad Med Ma-Muang which was hot, spicy, filled with vegetables and a nice flavour with the chilli paste and noodles. I had “summer adventure” which is a medium spiced hot plate dish with the same combination of seafood as the entrée. It was full of those delicious Thai herbs like basil and coriander and the sauce was incredibly full of flavour. I finished off the whole dish!

So to sum up great service and more than acceptable food in a beautiful restaurant in Windsor Park, Mairangi bay. They are in the Entertainment Book so that could be a bonus but it isn’t so expensive anyway. I would say we will be returning sooner rather than later this time.

Chao Phraya is an awesome addition to the Mairangi Bay food scene. If you're keen on Thai food - head to this place and you won't regret it.
I've been to Chao Phraya three times now since it opened - the stand out meal is the Kra-Ta Ron - fresh seafood dish with thai spices=divine!