Looking for dinner one night in Shizuoka City during a visit for the annual Street Performance World Cup, I really wanted something with a bit of spice, so I was very happy to see a couple of Thai flags on a building. I was right to be happy, as they did indicate a restaurant, and it was so good that I went straight back the next day for lunch.

The interior was nice and relaxed: it's fitted out with wicker chairs and wooden-looking tables, there are pretty ceramics for the spices and condiments, and around the walls there are Thai hangings, pictures, photography and artworks. The menu is largely only in Japanese, but there's some English on the dinner menu, and plenty of pictures to help you choose. They offer a good wide range of dishes, so I took the chance to try something new to me. I forget exactly the name of the dish I ordered for dinner (my notes say 'Pat Pet') but I really enjoyed it, a moderately spicy and slightly sweet red curry, with pork and green pepper.

Lunch was a revelation! They have on the menu a 'half and half' lunch, and I found myself with two very respectably sized dishes, (my choices were green curry and red curry), both very tasty and authentically hot. It left me satisfied in every way, particularly as it cost me just ¥980 (plus tax). Regular lunch sets cost from ¥945-¥980, and you can add a dessert and drink for an extra ¥360; an 'Asian plate' costs ¥1010 and a tropical set, including two main dishes, soup, dessert and a drink, is ¥1610. (All these prices are before the addition of consumption tax, which at the time of writing is 8%.) Soft drinks are from ¥300-¥600, and include tropical juices such as guava, lychee and mango; beers are ¥600, among them Singha and Chang from Thailand, and Guinness.
 

Getting there

It's in the main downtown core, just off Gofukucho-dori, close to Parco department store.

They're open daily except Thursday: lunch is from 11:30 until 14:00, dinner from 17:00 to 22:30 (22:00 on Sundays and holidays).


By Peter Sidell