Chaophraya — Restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne

JAN 2022 FOOD POISONING

This week I called early on the day to reserve a table as they have a 50% off atm. Turned up and it was almost empty. The waiter could not find the reservation I assumed he would just sit us down because the place was quiet but he was doing something on the computer, no communication so I said I would nip to the loo in the meantime.

The place clearly has been decked out with some pricey decor but toilets looked like they needed a clean. Mirrors were so scruffy, flush broken, hand dryers not working and no hand sanitiser anywhere.

Came back 5mins later waiter eas still on the computer. I asked if there was a problem and he said no, no apology for the wait or explanation and weirdly sat us right at the entrance by the kitchen when the whole place was available with better seats/views. I was just happy to be out after a LONG time so at the time I was not thinking too much of anything to be honest.

Re the waiter initially serving us, maybe he was having a bad day? I don't know. But he had a 'cba' attitude from the way he talked, walked around etc. He could barely hold the menu, dropped it twice whilst trying to show us it was double sided. And then when he was putting things on the table there was no attentivness just clumsy to the point me and my partner looked at eachother like 'is he okay?'. A different waitress then took over she was very friendly and helpful with making choices.

We got the house sharing platter for starters and realised it's priced per person. Thank goodness it was 50% off because otherwise very overpriced. The chicken tacos, very sweet but it was cold? I don't think I would manage a full size version. The tempura prawns fried in old oil, can taste it not pleasent and bland we didn't finish it. The duck salad was nice. Spring onions just tasted standard. And the chicken satay was hot and cold in parts so suspect it was microwaved. Didn't finish it was very watery.

Halfway through I think n argument broke out in the kitchen. It was so loud that we turned to watch and staff looked panicked. Went on for 5mins no idea what happened, speaking in another language. Then a waitress noticed us looking confused and came over to apologise.

Mains we got a thai chicken stirfried rice which was ok nothing special. I got the thai green chicken curry. The sauce was tasty but the chicken...weirdly while I was eating I told husband something isn't quite right. It wasn't the taste it was just a feeling I had. I noticed it wasn't piping hot as well but didn't think too much of it. The chicken was so dry didn't finish it all, I just ate the sauce and veg. It was obviously pre-made and tossed together when served but not heated fully. This must have been the cause and in hindsight I feel so stupid because I even said to my partner when the dish came out, you could see slight foam on the top. Partner said this happens when food is reheated but usually goes away when heated fully. I didn't think anything because I already started eating and chatting away....

Went home and then early next morning the stomach issues began. I know it was the green curry because that was my dish. Partner had a few bites after I couldn't finish it, he was unwell the next morning too but this surpassed after a few trips to the loo. I on the other hand am way worse and am still very unwell as I write this.

I called the restaurant to let them know and the manager is aparantly off ill... The lady didn't really sound shocked, she just said sorry and someone may call back. No affirmation that they take care etc. To be honest looking the place is all style no substance and the food is really not great quality. Deffo not matching the price point to say the least. I was just out after a long time and was enjoying my day trying to be positive.

I have been so ill and am completely off food rn. I wish I never went! I would never recommend this place now and after posting about it have told people not to bother. Sad I...

I came here for dinner on my birthday. This was my first time here and I really liked it. Chaopraya is a great choice for a date or special dinner. The service was super quick! (it was a Monday though) For drinks there was a 2 for 1 cocktail special, so we both had tigers eye which was delicious. There was an abundance of drinks choices and food. It was very difficult to choose what to eat but in the end I decided to go for 3 starters because I had my eye on the mango sticky rice for dessert. I got spring rolls, sweet corn cakes, and summer rolls (all vegetarian). All dishes came garnished with sweet chili sauce, violas, sprouts and/or banana leaves. This is something I really enjoy and am very particular about. It was very neat and the best part was it did not take away from the dish. A lot of garnishes interfere with the flavour or texture making it hard to distinguish the quality of the taste. The sweet corn cakes were definitely my favourite, and the spring rolls landed an easy second. The sweet corn cakes had an excellent balance of moist and crisp. The different flavours were really strong meaning you could accompany it with sweet chili sauce without sacrificing the food itself. You can never go wrong with spring rolls, there wasn’t anything particularly special about these ones but they were very tasty. The summer rolls were well wrapped, fresh and super crunchy. They were very tasty and I loved them even though I do prefer a summer roll with peanut sauce and vermicelli noodles. The starter portions were bigger than I expected (definitely not a bad thing) so I ended up taking the remaining summer rolls home and not ordering a dessert. Although the meat and fish dishes dominated the menu, the innovation of the vegetarian meals made up for it entirely. My boyfriend had the beef penang, which he said was great and quite spicy (but in a good way) however, the beef was less tender than he thought it would be. I tried some of the sauce and it was very good. He also ordered the chicken tacos as a starter which came after the main because the kitchen accidentally made vegetable tacos (again, this did not bother us at all). My boyfriend was also not able to finish his meal completely so did not order a dessert either. There are some incredible flavours on the menu. Incorporating fruit with savory is a definite favourite of mine however, if this is not something you enjoy there are plenty of staple Thai dishes. The menu states how spicy dishes are using chili icons which is helpful for new customers to decipher what they can handle as every restaurant is different. The interiors were not the best which was a little disappointing considering the quality of the food and how they promote themselves. Initially I was put off by it being located in Eldon Sq. however, a singular entrance by lift helped to make it feel more special. The building itself is beautiful and a rooftop restaurant is always nice. I did feel like there wasn’t much ambience however, it was a Monday. From its appearance it did not seem like a Thai restaurant. I understand it is a chain which takes away from authenticity but it still would have been nice to see some traditional furniture or at least a few tributes to Thai culture that weren’t limited to Buddhas. As a slightly more ‘sophisticated’ establishment, I did expect better however, it was still comfortable. The prices were relatively decent however, as university students this isn’t a restaurant we’d be able to go to often. I think the prices are completely reasonable considering the taste and presentation of the dishes. For the two of us we paid £72 including service charge. The negative comments are just explaining why I have given 4 stars instead of 5. I would still highly recommend this place to...

We really enjoyed our meal here, I was happy with everything I chose. My partner enjoyed his curry but wished he chose something else as wasn't quite what he was hoping for. The outside area is beautiful and we were so comfortable sitting there while eating. The servers were great and weren't on top of us much which I like when I eat out. We skipped starters as we were looking forward to ordering more for the meal to share but next time we'll definitely be trying the sharing chaophraya platter. I had the panang curry with chicken which was delicious and the chicken was cooked perfectly, I didn't get a bad bit and had that with jasmine rice which again really enjoyed. My partner went for the jungle curry which he was warmed was extremely hot, luckily it wasn't that hot - he could taste the heat but not uncomfortable or as hot as he prepared himself for but it's quite a thing curry which is where he was disappointed but it's the first time he's tried that one. His preference is a thicker curry more like the panang so he'd choose something different next time but glad he tried it and still ate it all. We also chose the noodles which were described a as a take on Singapore noodles. I was expecting a bit more heat but the taste of them was delicious and I'm so pleased I ordered. But they definitely don't have any heat to them. The chicken was slightly more chewy than that from my curry but not off putting. We also got the side of their five spice chips which again had a lovely taste. Carb overload for us but we ate it all and I walked away very stuffed but very satisfied. I'd be back again but it's a bit pricey so will be a treat for us rather than a...