It was just over a year ago that I ate at Pattaya Thai in North Adelaide. Little did I know, they also had a restaurant in Somerton Park. If external appearance is anything to go by, the Somerton Park store is like the ugly cousin. The external signs are faded and graffiti is written all over them. The inside isn’t much better, but I was assured by co-workers that this place serves really good food. The menu is fairly extensive and divided into soups, noodle and rice dishes and various protein and seafood types.

I’ve been told that this restaurant has been around for many years, and the furnishings inside are a reflection of this. Apparently the ceiling was quite disgusting, but during my visit, it looked like it had a fresh coat of paint. There’s seating for just over 30 people, and the windows allow plenty of natural light in.

During lunch periods on a Thursday and Friday, they have a self serve buffet. People don’t usually order off the menu during this time, so it was difficult to get the attention of staff. When we finally got to order, a friend and I both shared a serving of Pad Thai and Basil Chicken. The dishes arrived 15 minutes after ordering and were average in presentation.

The Pad Thai was very good. The noodles were firm and chewy, and the egg was evenly distributed throughout the dish. The coriander was fresh, while the peanuts and bean sprouts added a nice crunchy texture. Chicken thigh portions were used in the dish but they were dry and over cooked. That was the only criticism for a well flavoured dish.

The Basil Chicken was also really well executed. The chicken was tender and succulent, and the vegetables were fresh and crisp. The dish was really well balanced, and the strong flavour of basil was prominent.

I’m not sure whether it was the day and time that we visited, but we thought the service was slow and staff weren’t around when we needed them. I also witnessed a homeless guy enter the restaurant, help himself to the buffet and then leave. It was all a bit strange for me.

As far as the price goes, it’s fairly good value. The Pad Thai was $11.50 and the Basil Chicken was $14.00. Both were tasty and well executed dishes. Everything about this place was fairly substandard, but the food was great.

WHERE: 259 Brighton Rd, Somerton Park