470 Mt Eden Rd,
Mt Eden
Auckland,
1024
(09) 630 9097
The ViewAuckland Review
When you are in the mood for good Thai food there’s probably no better city to be in – other than Bangkok of course – than Auckland. There are literally hundreds of Thai restaurants spread across the isthmus from Downtown and the central business district to the outer suburbs, and many of them have won awards for their fine cuisine. So when a friend and I found ourselves in Mt Eden feeling a bit peckish with a general consensus for Thai food we knew the platter was ours.
There are at least four in the central suburb alone, three of them within walking distance of each on the main Mt Eden Road, which is exactly where we were. We soon settled on Thai Eden, mainly because it looked so warm and cosy from the outside and because my friend had eaten there before and guaranteed me it was good food and well priced.
Our predictions of the restaurant being warm and cosy were correct. Visible heaters meant jackets and scarves came off immediately and were we seated in a cosy corner looking out on to the street.
There’s not much to Thai Eden’s interior decorating, it’s mainly stark and white (including the tablecloths) complimented by high backed wooden seats and replica Buddha paintings and ornaments on the walls. It’s minimalistic, but it works, and the soft background music is calm and relaxing to offset the ongoing flow of traffic outside.
Being the responsible sober driver I order a ginger beer, while my friend allows herself a glass of Morton Estate pinot gris ($8) to start.
Looking around while we discuss what meals to share, I notice the restaurant is mainly catering for a middle aged European crowd on this particular night.
After requesting five more minutes from the waitress to make a final decision, she returns to take our final order of panang chicken (red) curry with crushed roasted peanuts, coconut cream and seasonal vegetables ($18.50) and the specialty Thai Eden fried rice with egg, onion, beans, tomato, spring onion and prawns ($19.50).
No sooner had we settled in to conversation than plates and cutlery appeared, quickly followed by steamed rice and then our main dishes in the middle of the table allowing us to share. The delivery of food from taking the order, to the kitchen and out to our tables was remarkably quick, at least it seemed that way to us.
The red curry was delicious, with just the right ratio of chicken to vegetables. I often find Thai curries to be lacking in the amount of meat buried under the sauce, but Thai Eden has no worries here. The fried rice was also good, if not a little too mild. Fortunately we had the panang to make up the spice difference.
In no hurry to leave the warm surroundings we took our time before allowing our plates to be cleared and the bill to be settled. Overall it was a pleasant experience at Thai Eden which is helping maintain Auckland’s outstanding Thai cuisine reputation.
Thai Eden has been reviewed by 1 users