Thai Po Thong Restaurant — Restaurant in Christchurch

Jan 2014 Thai Po Thong (TPT) Restaurant 511 Papanui Rd Christchurch New Zealand

I chose this restaurant for a family get-together simply because I had seen it next to newly opened Station One coffee shop (which I had been frequenting after a daily swim at the Graham Congdon Pool behind Northlands shopping centre). I phoned ahead to reserve a table for 5, which changed to 6, and then again, changed to ordering takeaways. The person answering the phone each time was pleasant despite our change of plans. A party of 4 of us drove there to choose from the menu - when we arrived at 7:30pm on a Wednesday night there was only one table of 2, a middle-aged couple, eating in the restaurant so I began to wonder about my decision to try this place "cold" - ie with no recommendation. Still, nothing ventured…

On entering, the place felt welcoming, with yellow hues. We forged ahead down to the back past the rows of square wooden tables and chairs, to where the bar/order counter was. A handsome young man, who looked Thai in origin and wore traditional Thai clothing - loose Thai pants that were half black, and half a gorgeous pattern of emerald green and a top with a "Chinese" (not sure if that is politically correct!) collar to match - greeted us. Several menus were laid before us at the nearest table to pore over.

We chose Tom Yum Goong ( 2 orders at $16.50ea) - a spicy prawn soup with lemon grass, lime leaves and mushrooms (best Thai soup I've ever tasted! a mix of hot, spicy, sour and sweet); Larb ($17.50) - a minced chicken salad with lemon, ground roasted rice, chili and herbs (sounds weird but is absolutely delicious!); Massaman chicken curry ($16.50, a peanut curry w potatoes and onions); Pad Thai ($16.50) - a traditional dish of fried noodle w eggs, chopped peanuts in a sweet tamarind sauce; 4 season fish - a whole moki $27.50, fried w 4 seasons sauce - sweet, salty, sour and hot; and another chicken curry ($16.50) in a coconut sauce (I think a green curry); and 2 extra orders of rice ($6 ea). We asked that the rice that comes with each non-noodle dish be put into 2 large containers, rather than 4 small ones and they obliged us. Each time we asked for a slight alteration from, or clarification of the menu was needed, the young man would consult with the "boss" in the back and come back to confirm that it was OK.

Since we were going to be there for about 20 minutes while it was cooked, we opted to have a beer/wine and sit and chat. There were several beers to choose from, all around $6.50- $7 - Thai and Chinese amongst them - and wines by the glass or bottle. The restaurant is set out like a cafe with the tables in columns along the walls. It's atmosphere and lighting was warm despite there being only a couple dining there. I didn't take specific note of the decor. The food arrived - it cost $140 and enough to feed 6 hungry adults, including 2 young athletic men in their mid twenties! who went back for thirds. One of our party said it was expensive by Christchurch standards. Considering it fed 6 of us in hearty quantities, and there were still leftovers - I would not order extra rice next time - I think we got great value and delicious food. Next time I would aim to eat in, as the presentation of the couple's food looked impressive. Yes, I recommend it. Try this place....

Delicious red chicken curry& delicious Beef Thai salad.. Good service & clean restaurant ..but

Sadly we ordered the Thai fish cakes as an entree and they were terrible - rubbery and watery in equal measure - and absolutely tasteless .. we politely mentioned twice that we thought they were awful, asked if they'd come out of the freezer ( yes) we ate 2 out of 5 of them (only because we were hungry after a 7 hour drive and we'd slathered them in the sauce ) and returned the rest.. Unbelievably we were still charged for them!

If you don't order the fish cakes you'll have a great meal.

The toilet walls & light switches could do with a good wash with janola.. (We may have just been there in a busy night.. The rest of the restaurant...

We visited on the 8th October just before 8pm and were served two dishes so hot (spicy) that we couldn’t eat them. We asked for medium (which we’ve ordered at various Thai restaurants in Oz, NZ & Thailand and this has always been fine). We told the waiter we couldn’t eat our food and he told us that “the food is always this hot”. Given he’d not actually tasted either of the two dishes, this seemed a clear brush off. He took our soup away and had the chef dilute it before bringing it back. He left our inedible chicken salad at our table. He left us without enough bowls to eat with. We were charged full price and then stopped to buy Subway for dinner on...