When one Thai restaurant closes, another one opens. This is true in the case of Chilli Pepper, which replaces the former Pattaya Thai as ownership changed hands. Of course, the menu still looks like your typical Thai fare with the standard entrees, salads, mains, curries, vegetables, noodles and rice dishes on offer. I was pleased to see that they have a lunch menu with very reasonable prices.

The floor plan and dining area is identical to what it was as the former Thai restaurant. A small passageway to the rear of the building creates a corner position which allows them to place windows on the side. All in all, the place is neat and well presented.

For dinner, I ordered the Massaman Beef. The dish came out after a 15 minute wait and was average in presentation. The curry came out in an oversized bowl which was half full. This actually creates the impression that you’re not getting much for your money. A garnish on top of the dish wouldn’t have gone astray either.

For the most part, the beef was lean, tender and succulent, and simply fell apart. There was the odd piece that was fatty which I thought was disappointing. While I understand most places will have a different take on the curry, this dish included pieces of onion. Most places will give you potatoes or just the plain meat. There was also a ridiculous amount of peanuts in this dish. It’s great for a crunchy texture but the amount they added was overkill. I also thought the curry could have been sweeter as I thought the sauce was more spicier than expected.

My friend ordered the Seafood Pad Thai. The serving size was generous and the noodles were well cooked. The seafood included squid, prawns, fish and scallops, which plentiful throughout the dish. The peanuts and bean sprouts added a nice crunchy texture, and the flavour was just right. I was told it was very good but not the best she’s had.

The staff were friendly and accommodating, and the service was average. Drinks and food arrived promptly and plates were cleared as we finished. When it came to paying the bill, there were no staff to be seen and it was only because their phone rang that someone actually came out to the front.

The pricing here is fairly average and on par with the other Thai restaurants down this street. The Massaman Beef was $18.90 while the Seafood Pad Thai was $21.90. I know for a fact that Pad Thai is not that expensive to make so the jury is out as to whether you should be charging that much, of course, you have rent and labour costs to consider.

Was my visit to Chilli Pepper a memorable Thai food encounter? It could have been better.

WHERE: 147 O’Connell St, North Adelaide