Thai E-Sarn — Restaurant in Waitematā

There was a bad smell, sorry, not sure if it was something like fish sauce but I don't think so. Service was good. Please make sure whole kitchen is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, as well as nooks and crannies like air intakes, sinks, etc. Make fridge very clean and remember to separate cold stuffs from things that need cooking hermetically.

Otherwise it is alright.

Make price lower maybe, by searching for better providers for your raw produce. It's pretty high. Remember that the Chinese shop near corner Cook street had $5 for a very good stir fry and rice. We have to shop very carefully online, maybe even get license to import. It is very important indeed. The shop nextdoor has importation license to get the products cheaper, so you could even request products they do not even sell yet and maybe the shop will get them imported because there is demand. Get sample of product delivered and tell them how much you are likely to need so they can get enough every time they get import delivered!!! They have good juice in can for your customers, only $1.20. You don't care enough about your customers to get these cans of good juice from Thailand like mangosteen, tamarind, mango, etc etc??? Why? I did not buy a drink with meal because you had the usual same rubbish as the other places!!! You can get a fridge very cheap, you do not need coca cola company or whatever to provide the fridge and drinks at your cost and the cost if customers. How boring and unoriginal and unThai!

You are not thinking at all!!!! Shop with import license and cheaper and higher quality products from Thailand is just next door!!! Why you sell coca cola and other rubbish when you can buy good juice and maje extra profit because shop next door is closed at 6 pm. You could sell the Thai can juices!!! I saw shop was just closed, if you had those cans at 1.50 which is 25% profit for you, then you would have had customers like me buying many cans. One for food and at least 2 or 3 for the rest of the day/night.

Make more effort, you have good cooking skills!!! Why you waste money and sell lower quality at high price. Not good for the customer, not good for you.

You make maximum quality, lower price, increase turnover, and make more profits. Where are you wasting money and losing quality? When you have started doing this and you change the menu price, please advertise the special changes, because you must inform the customer of your strategy change and that they can buy a good full homemade meal for the same price as if they went to the supermarket and cooked at home.

You must try to compete on quality and price. Because you will not get all the custom from the working people who look for a proper meal at a low price, otherwise they will just buy at supermarket or the good stir fry Chinese nearby.

Not bad effort, but can improve a lot. Maybe menu is too complicated and you throw produce away as well? Not filling enough for people who need a good meal for 20 to 30 dollars maximum. You need to aim for 5 to 15 dollars if possible, this means you must find the cheap and high quality suppliers. Cut costs and increase quality for customer, and this will mean much better profits for you with the higher turnover that comes with it.

You also have the homeless and poor coming in and asking for a meal or a discount. Make a "PAY IT FORWARD" container, so people can donate money to feed those in need knowing that the money will go to food for them. This is good for everybody.

I have left 1 star for now, when I return I want to see the Thai juices in a can from the shop up the road, and your own fridge if that one is not yours. I also especially require you to have perfect hygiene in all parts of restaurant. If you have not made a deal with the shop next door, and made everything hygienic and ensuring no food poisoning can happen with contaminated uncooked food and so on, then I will correct my rating to 5 star. When you buy salad from shop, this can also be contaminated, so that you will have to thoroughly wash...

I walked into this Thai restaurant expecting a solid meal, but I didn’t expect to leave questioning my loyalty to all other pork dishes. Let’s start with the star: the barbecue pork. It had that perfect balance of smoky, slightly sweet, and just enough char to make you wonder if the chef has a secret deal with the fire gods.

Then there was the cucumber, playing its classic role as the refreshing sidekick. Crisp, cool, and unapologetically simple—like the friend who keeps you grounded while you make bad decisions (like ordering extra spicy when you know you can’t handle it).

And finally, the eggs. Oh, the eggs. Soft-boiled to golden perfection, with a yolk so rich it could probably buy real estate in central Bangkok.

To top it off, the lovely lady at the counter gave me a free soup, which automatically bumps this review up a notch. (Bribery? Maybe. But I accept it wholeheartedly.) The soup was warm, comforting, and the kind of thing that makes you consider writing a thank-you note to the chef.

Overall, this dish didn’t just satisfy my hunger—it made me rethink my life choices, like why I haven’t been eating this exact meal every week. Would I come back? Absolutely. Would I subtly hint that I’m open to more free...

PAD SEE EW & SOM THUM THAI - must have dishes here.

A hidden gem in Hobson Street, off the main area of the CBD. But still busy and appeared to have heaps of regular customers, and for a good reason.

The food tastes very different to any other Thai place in Auckland, there is a more authentic taste to the food and the ingredients were very fresh.

The pad see ew is a flat Noodle stir fry, perfectly cooked and the flavour was perfect being a sweet soy like taste. Plentiful vegetables stir fried in as wellm

Som Thum Thai is a distinctive dish that is like a salad which is sour and spicy, cold, with crushed ingredients within it. This is the highlight dish of this place!! Very fresh and deliciously seasoned. Best I ever had compared to any other stores.

The staff were super friendly, especially the grandma whom had a friendly smile and can see her calm kind mannerism as she served us. It added a very warm touch to our visit.

I will be back again! (probably another time this week, as I can't get over how good this is!)

It probably is the best hidden food place in Auckland CBD... And I don't say...