Reviews Chaophraya Edinburgh

This is a great date place with a little bit of a ‘wag’ vibe. Delicious Thai food and friendly service, reasonably priced. Book in advance and ask to sit on the enclosed terrace with views of Edinburgh Castle.

I visited this restaurant on Saturday with 3 friends and as usual had a great meal but it was very crowded and as I use a wheelchair I was made to feel uncomfortable. . To get into the restaurant I have to take a lift up to the restaurant floor, The security man on duty did not have much of a clue about how this lift worked but when I got to the right floor I could not get out of the lift because an extremely ill advised guest had been told by a staff member that it was the correct place to leave 2 empty push chairs. I could easily have caused a lot of damage to my wheelchair and also to the push chairs During the meal the service was poor to say the least. We got an extra glass of wine and 2 bills, bur they only sent us 3 main courses. I suspect they had use a number of badly trained temporary staff. Also when we arrived the seem to have no knowledge of the table I had booked

Top notch food, service and views. Try and nab a window seat if you can. Fantastic food and well priced Thai meals. The wine list is excellent as is the bar area. Lovely presentation of all meals. Try the tasting plate as an entree to get a bit of everything. Mains were generous and delivered spicy and hot.
A very high standard

Their new menu focuses heavily on sharing and you’ll find some gems here. Traditional Thai Currys are listed – fish, prawn, chicken and vegetable, as well as noodle and rice dishes such as Pad Thai, Udon Noodles, Spicy Fried Rice with Chicken and Basil.
But it was the starters that caught my eye with classic dishes like Chicken Satay, Soft Shell Crab & Squid Tempura and the Chicken Spring Rolls. So much to choose from but we settled on the Maeklong Platter which came with two chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce, 4 x prawn and pork dumplings, 4 x chicken spring rolls and 2 x sweetcorn cakes with a sweet chilli dip.
This look of this dish is impressive when delivered to the table. Its bright and colourful with the banana leaf adding to the vibrant plate of bites.

We ate our way around the plate starting with the sweetcorn cakes. These were packed with sweetcorn kernels but we agreed they lacked seasoning. Dipped in the sweet chilli sauce however, they transformed into tasty morsels of crunchy crispy savoury bites. The bite-sized pork and prawn dumplings were nice, the chicken skewers again lacked seasoning but smothered in the delicious peanut sauce, were lovely. The one thing that let down this sharing platter was the spring rolls. Although they were stuffed full it was predominantly vegetables and they were bland. Very crispy though.
When eating Thai I usually opt for the Thai Green Curry, but the Massaman Lamb Curry with coconut rice was jumping out the menu at me. They describe it as “Pieces of tender lamb stewed with massaman curry, coconut milk, carrots, potatoes and baby onions, topped with cashew nuts. Massaman is made with turmeric, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon and chillies and is one of the favourite dishes of the Thai Royal Family, dating back to the 16th Century”. My partner choose the traditional signature dish, the Chicken Pad Thai “Pad Thai Gai – The national dish of Thailand. Stir-fried rice noodles in tamarind sauce with chicken, spring onions, carrots, egg, tofu, sweet turnip and bean sprouts, topped with lightly pickled vegetables.” 
The Massaman Curry was served in a cast iron dish, the rice wrapped in a banana leave and unwrapped at the table; whilst the Chicken Pad Thai was served with a glass cloche covering it. I think this was meant for drama and effect but it fell a bit flat. The cloche was filled with steam rather than smoke and was removed almost at the same time as the plate was set on the table.

There are no shortages of restaurants in Edinburgh, but there is a big variation in quality.  My wife and I both love Thai food and Chaophraya came highly recommended by food bloggers, travel sites, and a couple of locals we met.  This restaurant is located on the fourth floor of a building located on Castle Street and offers an amazing view of Edinburgh Castle if you are lucky enough to secure a table with a view.  We waited too long to secure a reservation with a view, but we were still able to get into the restaurant with only one day's notice.

This is the best thai food in Edinburgh...if you prefer it being more poised than street food style. The food has so much flavour and the staff were all helpful. We had the crispy pork belly with thai basil for main and the thai pancakes for desert which were both really delicious. The best thing though is that view, it is spectacular of the castle. Definitely worth a visit!

Room with a view! The surroundings are great, beautiful interior and fab views. Usually end up with a table close to the kitchen, which gets pretty HAAAT! Service is always good, always lovely. The scallop and black pudding starter is quite a belly filler, but equally delicious. Stand out dishes have to be the spicy beef rice, and weeping tiger...yum! Cocktails aren't too shabby either; )

The decor, the atmosphere, the food and the mocktails cannot be faulted absolutely love sitting out on the roof as well just an amazing please and location

I adore Chaopraya. Located in the former Oloroso it has one of the absolute best locations in Edinburgh with amazing views!! The welcome is very warm as are the furnishings. The food is absolutely superb. I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening night extravaganza a few years ago and I've been hooked ever since. The Service is top notch and I just can't get enough of this place. It's my favourite Thai restaurant in Edinburgh. Book in advance to sit in the glass box room, it makes your dining experience even more special :-)

Chaophraya and it's many branches have gained a reputation in the UK for fairly excellent thai food in pretty glamorous surroundings. Elevated high off of the streets of new town, the restaurant is only accessible via an elevator that takes you up into the Edinburgh skyline. It was hardly a pretty day that we chose to dine for a late lunch, but there was nonetheless something quite splendid about looking across the Athens of the North and being unaware of the crowds seething below.  Chaophraya have a wonderful and varied menu where each item looks more delicious that the one before. It was almost impossible to choose even from there reduced lunch menu, which is startlingly good value at £13.95 for two courses. At that price we de

The staff were friendly, the restaurant is absolutely gorgeous – the same Chaophraya style but with this beautiful rooftop edge – and I had a lovely dining experience here. My friends were delighted that it lived up to their expectations.

Decided to take my parents here when they came up to visit me as we all love Thai food, and I've had several people recommending this place due to it's great service, food and amazing view of the city. Our decision to go here was very spontaneous which meant that we hadn't booked a table but the staff still found us a table which we could have for 2 hours. The atmosphere of Chaophraya is very welcoming, warm but with finesse, and with a big fish tank in the centre of the dining room. As we went here in January we sat in the middle of the restaurant so there wasn't much of a view, and it was also too dark to see anything out of the windows. 

Starter: Corncakes with a chili sauce. It was a generous portion and the mix of sweet corncakes with the spicy chili was delightful. 

We had some problems when ordering our main courses. My dad loves Thai food, but cannot not for his life eat spicy food, specifically asked if the Beef in black pepper sauce was spicy and the waitress reassured him that it was a bit hot but not spicy. Unfortunately, my dad's tastebuds disagreed: his face turned red and sweat appeared under his eyes (he drank two pints of water after just two bites of his main course). I, on the other hand, ordered chicken in a peanut sauce which is definitely a dish for the faint-hearted as the flavoring is very mild and tasty. However, I only had a  mouthful of it since I was feeling nice and swapped dishes with my dad so he wouldn't leave hungry. So if you like beef and spicy food I would highly recommend Beef in black pepper sauce.

All in all, the food was great and in generous portions. If you are as sensitive as my dad then maybe ask the staff to recommend you something on the menu which isn't spicy. I will definitely be back but next time it'll be summer or at least during the day so I can get to see some of that amazing view I've heard so much about because this time the sun had already gone down.

My boyfriend chose this restaurant as the venue for my 30th birthday meal.

The venue itself is stunning, we didn't get a huge look around as for a Thursday evening it was very busy. We are asked to have the table back for 9pm (our booking was for 7pm). We were seated in the 'glass box' which has great views of Edinburgh castle.

We were left to mull over the drinks menu whilst the waitress fetched us some water, we decided to go for a South African white (which was under £20) to remind us of our earlier holiday.

After we were left to look over the main menu. We weren't pushed but we weren't left twiddling our thumbs either.

For starter I chose tempura prawns with chilli dip and Jamie had scallops and black pudding with chilli. Our starters took no time to arrive, were fresh and beautifully presented. Both were outstanding, Jamies scallops were cooked perfectly, his only complaint was the black pudding to scallop ratio was a little out so either smaller black pudding portions or a few more scallops would balance it our perfectly. My tempura prawns were divine and the chill sauce, potentially the best I've ever had.

For our main I kept it simple and went for a Thai Green chicken curry, Jamie had 'weeping tiger', thin strips of steak cooked to your liking with chill, and we got a 'sticky rice' to share.

Our mains also arrived promptly and again presented beautifully. My Thai curry was stunning, I could have drank this sauce, my chicken was so tender, melt in the mouth and cut like butter. Jamies steak was fab too, I would recommend another wee side with this dish. The sticky rice was sticky and quite hard to get out the bowl. Next time I'd go for jasmine rice.

Our dishes were promptly cleared and dessert menus brought out, to be honest we were both nicely full so decided not to push it as we were going out for a few more drinks.

Jamies complaint would be that they were supposed to bring out a slice of cake with a candle for my birthday once they'd delivered the dessert menus and it didn't happen. It was v.busy though so if you're planning something like that maybe slyly remind the staff on your way in.

All in all I cannot wait to go back and try more.

Love this restaurant! This was my 2nd visit to Chaophraya Edinburgh and I have to say the food and service was excellent as always. I definitely recommend getting the Asian platter to share for a starter or the tempura prawns which are the best I've ever had. The restaurant was pretty busy and we were a party of 9 people but despite that our meals came pretty quick and our waitress Katie was always over to make sure our drinks were topped up and that everything was ok. When she found out we were celebrating my sisters graduation she insisted on bringing her a little treat to congratulate her so she brought over a lovely glass of bubbly which was a really nice touch. Thank you Chaophraya for yet another delicious meal, I will definitely be back soon.

I recently went along to Thai restaurant Chaophraya, on Castle Terrace, for the Ron Zacapa Experience Launch Party. Chaophraya have partnered with rum brand Ron Zacapa Centenario to create a new Terrace Menu, including special canapes and cocktails. The menu was certainly a complement to the new cocktails, as both were sweet and beautifully presented.

The Food

Being more of a foodie than a drinker, I was initially drawn to the canapes. The chicken satay stood out as a favourite. It was served with a light peanut sauce but was just as good without it. The chicken, which been marinated with lime and peanut, had kept the flavour of both and was perfectly moist. I was also impressed with the deep fried pork meatballs served on a tiny sliver of pineapple. They were smoky and fiery, with a meaty flavour that was offset by the sweet zing of the pineapple.

More disappointing was the duck salad. Served in a charming cone made from a dried palm leaf, it was a mixture of battered duck, red onion and spring onion. It tasted overwhelmingly of onion though and it seemed a shame to have battered the duck. It could have been left pink, served in slices and have better retained its flavour and texture.

Delicate baskets of golden tempura containing flaked cod and pomegranate seeds were closer to the mark for me. The baskets were crispy and the cod was sweet with palm sugar and kaffir lime. However, whilst the sweetness was moreish it was also overpowering, with only a hint of fish coming through.

Lastly we sampled some juicy Thai fish balls. The flavours of fish and lime were very well balanced, light and authentic. Spot on.

The Cocktails

Having fully assessed the food offering, our attentions were turned to the stars of the night: the cocktails. The new selection available at the terrace bar comprises various spirits, including the showcase Ron Zacapa rum and others in the brand like Ketel One vodka and Tanqueray gin. The smoking Pina Colada was a firm favourite, with bell jars housing the Coladas under plumes of hickory smoke whizzing past us to excited guests all night. When we finally managed to flag down one of the busy waiters and secure some of our own, we could see what all the fuss was about.

Upon delivery, the bell jar was removed with a flourish and a puff of smoke. A tall glass filled with a pretty cocktail, garnished with a wedge of pineapple, a twist of orange and a maraschino cherry, was revealed. The mix of Ron Zacapa 23 rum, coconut cream, vanilla sugar and pineapple juice was surprisingly refreshing and not too sweet or strong.

We also had a Bramble, with gin, cranberry and a squeeze of lime, which appeared in a tall glass, glowing pinky-red and topped with a blackberry. There was a Caprioska too, with Ciroc vodka, lime and sugar syrup; short, pale and finished with chilled grapes. Both were refreshing and mildly fruity, two classic serves that let their premium spirits shine through.

Overall I would highly recommend the Roof Terrace at Chaophraya for a fancy first date or a celebratory night out. Sipping a superb cocktail, enjoying some excellent Thai nibbles and considering the castle would be a wonderful way to enjoy a summer’s evening.

----- Previous review ------
Recently I was invited to Chaophraya to eat Thai accompanied with Glenfiddich whisky. Whisky and food matching is a challenge: I love the idea, but it can be tricky to manage. If you’re used to drinking wine with food whisky can seem too strong, too concentrated. At my whisky-matched meal, I had great fun, great food and fabulous whiskies, but I’m not sure that the matching element really worked for me. I was interested to try a different cuisine and whisky.

Chaophraya is at the top of 33 Castle Street, a great location with great views. We were in one of the private dining rooms, a glass cube with a view of Edinburgh castle. Sitting high on its dark rock, the castle looked rather mystical, lit in violet and blue. As a welcome, I was given a glass of Glenfiddich 12 year-old, poured over ice and server with a wedge of frozen pear. Pear is one of the characteristics of the 12 year-old and this way of serving it highlights it. It made a light, refreshing aperitif and is my new favourite way to drink Glenfiddich.

Spirit of a Nation

As a special treat, we got a taste of the Spirit of a Nation, a 29 year-old whisky created for the Walking with the Wounded charity’s South Pole challenge. It’s a very pleasant whisky: soft, rich and mellow, with lovely hints of leather on the nose and a lingering finish. Our bottle hasn’t been to the South Pole, but that didn’t detract from its soothing flavour. Spirit of a Nation is a great dram.

Drinking the Ages

The first course was golden baskets, crisp rice tartlets with a mix of cod and coley in a honey, lime leaf and lemongrass sauce. The tartlet shells were light and crisp, the fish sweet and flavoursome. (A touch too sweet for me – the honey over-powered the fish). With this, we drank the 12 year-old. It worked well, the whisky cut through the honey and refreshed the palate.

Rule number one when matching food and whisky: be generous with the water. Undiluted, the whisky can overpower the food, but with water, new flavours and aromas are released. Watering the whisky also makes it less potent, a good thing when you’re drinking several glasses with dinner.

We moved on to the Glenfiddich 14 year-old Rich Oak and a crispy duck salad. The salad was dressed with a chili dressing that was savoury, fresh and truly hot. Possibly too hot since it overpowered the flavour of the duck, but I enjoyed the scent of fish sauce, the sourness of lime and heat of the chili with the crunchy salad and the rich duck meat. I added a generous dose of water to the Rich Oak whisky to release the full width of flavours and to make last a little longer. A little deeper in flavour than the 12 year-old, Rich Oak has loads of wood character, with hints of Bourbon and spice, even a hint of green leaves. It’s finished in a combination of new American and Spanish oak casks, lending hints of sweetness and sap to the finished product.

18 and 15

Weeping Tiger with rice at Chaopraya Restaurant, Edinburgh
Weeping Tiger with rice at Chaopraya Restaurant, Edinburgh
The main was called Weeping Tiger, a sirloin steak served with a chili dipping sauce, rice and drizzled with a pepper sauce. It was delicious. The charring on the meat added a hit of wood and caramel, and the dipping sauce was tart and hot, but not too hot to let the flavour of the meat come through. The fluffy white rice was great for mopping up the last bits of sauce.

With the beef we drank Glenfiddich 18 year-old which has been matured in Bourbon and Sherry casks. It had notes of Medjool dates and baked fruit, the lush sweetness you’d expect from a sherry cask, and held its own against the umami of the steak. Again, I added a generous glug of water, which opened the nose and added a good helping of fruit, and added silk to the mouthfeel.

essert was sherry poached pears with meringue and vanilla ice cream. The ice cream rested on a thin slice of lemon which kept it in place, and also added a tang of lemon flavour that I really enjoyed. (Note to self: use this the next time you serve ice cream.) With it, we drank Glenfiddich 15 year-old, unique because it’s a combination of whisky matured in Bourbon, Sherry and new oak casks before being married in Glenfiddich’s pine Solera cask. The Solera cask is never completely emptied, but always at least half empty. The result is a smooth and complex whisky that I really enjoyed.

Match Carefully!

There are many reasons why this meal worked for me. The food was good, the drink was lovely and the company was good too. I particularly enjoyed that we tried whiskies from the same producer so that they all had something in common, but highlighted the subtle differences between different ages and casks. I learned a lot about Glenfiddich and how to serve it. James Milne, brand ambassador and our host on the night, is planning another Glenfiddich and food matching event in March. Join their newsletter for news and keep an eye out for what promises to be a fun and deliciously instructive evening.

It's easy to miss the entrance to Chaophraya from the street - we walk by regularly, and only recently noticed it. Subtle entrance or not, the place is very popular. The roof terrace attracts big crowds during these long, sunny summer nights. To dine here in the evening, you'll want to show up with a reservation, but during the day it's easier to get a table. If you're looking for a spot to do some daydrinking, you could do worse than a tall, icy cocktail with a view of the city here.

The pad thai noodles were cooked perfectly, but the sauce was a little sweet for my tastes. The fried sea bass came shrouded in a most delightful curry sauce, which left us wishing there was more of it. Service was friendly and reasonably attentive.

It was the rarest of days, the sun was beaming and we wanted to get as close to it as physically possible. I had been to Chaophraya on a previous (albeit cold and wet) occasion and was in awe of the rooftop views, it seemed like the perfect place to visit to take advantage of the sunshine.

Two of our favourite cuisines here at EdinBlogger are Mexican and Thai, we love chilli and whilst we don’t add it to our cornflakes it pretty much goes on/in everything else.

I’m a huge fan of green curries, no matter how adventurous I’m feeling I almost always default to this dish. My sidekick ordered crispy pork belly, which on arrival made me wish I ventured away from the old classics once in a while.

My chicken green curry along with jasmine rice was incredible, nice and creamy with a good chilli kick, it tasted so fresh and the chicken was perfectly cooked. I stole a little of the pork belly, it looked and tasted great, the pork was crispy and there was plenty of chilli to get the party started. Whilst the green curry was delightful I may be tempted by the pork belly on my text visit.

All the staff were genuinely friendly without it feeling forced or over the top, it’s often hard to get the balance right but this restaurant has the perfect approach.

The meal was just shy of £30 without any drinks, but I would say it was well worth it. If you are going on a sunny day then the roof terrace is a great wee spot to relax with a few drinks, if you are planning on going at night I would recommend pre-booking a table overlooking the castle.

For dessert we worked through the cocktail list, all the drinks were well made and a great way to end the day whilst enjoying the sunset.

Read more at:
http://www.edinblogger.com/2013/chaophraya-thai-in-the-sky/

We went here for a family dinner a while ago. It’s a lovely restaurant with great views of Edinburgh. I had the spring rolls to start which were delicious but enormous so bare that in mind! I followed this with the pork belly Pad Thai. This was nice but the pork belly was a bit hard. I’ve been before and had the chicken Pad Thai and that was much better. I had the mango beer too and this was also delicious. The waiters were lovely but the service was quite slow but I imagine this was because they had a massive group in a private room. At the end of the meal, we were allowed to go and look on the balcony and had great views of the sunset. It’s a lovely setting for a special dinner but I’ve had slightly nicer Thai food elsewhere in Edinburgh.

Fantastic night, scrumptious food, stylish cocktails and highly attentive service. Great entrance, interior decor, bar, glass conservatory seating as requested which really made our night special. Food was perfect with good sized portions, even had to get a to-go bag because I couldn't let anything go to waste. Everything about our experience was 5-Star. If you want a classy, memorable dinner out, book this place.

This Thai restaurant was highly recommended by both a local tour guide and a fellow traveller! The restaurant is large with a view of Edinburgh castle from the balcony. The indoor decor is lovely, with a big fish tank that we were sat next to, and the servers were kind. Our food (spring rolls, pad thai) was delicious. Definitely worth visiting!

Excellent Thai Restaurant. Extraordinary good service, very nice and helpful. We had to wait at the bar as we where a little early and got offered a Glas of water for free. Drinks at the bar where great. We had a table with a fantastic view, you can ask for it in the reservation. The menu is great and the food was excellent. We had a great evening. If you are looking for a high class Thai restaurant in Edinburgh you should clearly consider the Chaopharaya.

Most of the orders were spectacular. Try the spring rolls, noodles, black pepper beef and steak and sweet an sour chicken For dessert both sticky rice and chocolate mousse were amazing