Pinto Thai Restaurant — Restaurant in Kensington

we went there as my sister have previously dined there with a friend and liked it, however on walking into the restaurant it is basically shoebox size-wise, in the main dining area you are rubbing elbows with the other diners, due to the confined space it is very loud noise wise, service was less than adequate (I had made a reservation 3 days prior) we were seated, given menus and left to our own devices, no being asked if we would like to order drinks or entrees, food: the menu selection is rather limited in options, as is the drink menu, menu is set out poorly you select the meat, fish or fowl and then add the sauce, noodles or vegetables to the dish with an additional cost so instead of say ordering chilli basil beef you must order the beef and then add the chilli basil stir fry, the whole deep fried barramundi with garlic sauce was ordered as well as steamed jasmin rice, the barramundi arrived filleted and cut up with what seemed like a light coat of flour on it, I grew up in darwin and have eaten plenty of barramundi and this was no barramundi, the frame was a barra but the cut up portions definitely were not, there was none of the scale pattern on the meat nor any bones to speak of, so basically paid for freshwater Basa, I have dined at another thai restaurant and ordered the whole barra deep fried and the whole intact fish was delivered to the table, could not taste the garlic sauce as it seemed to have been rationed with a really thin puddle on the bottom of the dish, the rice was a joke in regards to portion, it was presented so as to look like a lot but in reality was less than a full bowl, food is basic and presentation leaves a lot to be desired, there is no real segregation of the kitchen from the dining area, most people will like Pintos but it...

Discovering this hidden gem in the midst of nowhere was an unexpected stroke of luck, and it turned out to be an incredible find! Despite being our second choice by pure coincidence, it became a memorable experience that truly exceeded all our expectations.

Tonight, we had the pleasure of revisiting this wonderful restaurant, and once again, it did not disappoint. The flavors transported us to a place of pure comfort, leaving us in awe of the culinary delights they prepared for us. The portions were not only generous but also left a lasting impression on our taste buds.

The outstanding service from the friendly staff added an extra layer of enjoyment to our dining experience. Their warm and attentive demeanor made us feel welcomed and valued throughout the evening.

Without a doubt, we have added this exceptional establishment to our personal list of favorites. We know that each time we return, we'll be treated to a delightful journey of amazing flavors, and our every request will be met with excellence.

Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to the entire team for creating such a memorable dinner and for consistently delivering an outstanding dining experience. We can't wait to return and savor those incredible flavors once...

Alright.

All my cards on the table from the start - i grew up in a house with three brothers, so the quality of the meal has always been measured by the size of the serves.

Full stop.

So, in that context, i found the serving sizes a little small tonight...

...BUT THE FOOD.

Oh my OMG.

The smells, the flavours, the complete and utter lack of a post-asian meal MSG headache...

This place is amazing.

Chicken satay, chicken curry puffs for the entree - I'm (part) Indian, and I've NEVER eaten a curry puff that good IN MY LIFE.

Green chicken curry, chicken chilli basil noodles, chicken fried rice (ok, so we love chicken) and salt and pepper squid.

What can i say - I've never eaten better Thai food.

If you've seen any of my other reviews, you know that i don't usually love Thai food (another holdover from childhood), but after tonight, I'm thinking it might be time to revisit some of those memories and change my thinking - about serving sizes, about how i measure quality, maybe about Thai food in general...

Thanks Pinto, we'll...