311 Parnell Road,
Parnell
Auckland,


(09) 373 5247

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3 out of 5

Suitably named, Thai Friends is popular with Parnell locals for its fast service, affordable takeaways and warm welcoming restaurant. Needless to say, it’s busy most days of the week – last Tuesday night was no exception.

We were impressed by the friendly staff and the prompt service, although the ambience was awkward. The music was too quiet and the bright lights emphasized the eclectic mix of tacky Thai décor and Asian nik naks.

Thai Friends offer a decent wine list and selection of beer, including Thailand’s very own Singha. We chose the BYO option, available at $5 corkage per bottle.

As a group of four we decided to share, starting with two of the ‘Combo’ entrees ($15). Much greasier than we would have liked, the Prawn Toast was particularly disappointing. Overly battered, if you can hardly taste the key ingredient then something’s amiss.

The ‘Crumbed pork with plum sauce and coriander’ ($16.50) turned out to be sweet and sour pork beefed up with a few aged veges. When quizzed on this, the staff didn’t seem to care that the menu was clearly misleading.

The Beef Curry ($17.50), on the other hand was superb with a delicious green curry sauce. Similarly, the Tiger prawns ($20) in a standard red curry were so good that we ended up ordering seconds.

All of the group claim to be Pad Thai 'connoisseurs', unfortunately Thai Friend’s version of the classic Thai dish left little to be desired. The dish, put simply, seemed to be re-heated. The Chicken and Shrimp dry and the noodles rubbery.

With room for dessert, we fought over the fried banana split with caramel sauce and ice cream. Not authentic, but this night we weren’t having a good run with the traditional meals in any case.

Although a bit hit and miss, you can’t really go wrong with the Thai red and green curry options Thai Friends serves up. Typically, I don’t like the ‘safe’ option – unfortunately my next Thai dining experience will involve a trek across town.