Delicious Asian-inspired food and superb innovative cocktails are the hallmarks of owner Tony Astle at his modern, fun-filled restaurant near the city centre. It's a great place to go with a crowd of friends, as the menu has a comprehensive collection of mostly authentic Thai dishes that are designed for sharing.
"Its an amazingly busy place, understandably given theres nothing much else like it around..."
Chinwag Eathai in High Street is good for a group, modern Thai in modern decor.
It’s easy to love Christchurch’s new modern Thai restaurant, ChinWag Eathai, with its slogan “bloody good food… made with love”. The brainchild of Christchurch chef/restaurateur Tony Astle – of award-winning Asian restaurant Indochine – ChinWag aims to take New Zealanders beyond green chicken curry and fish cakes. Start at the funky bar for Thai-style snacks and Thai-inspired cocktails, then adjourn to either the traditional communal tables downstairs or the more intimate tables upstairs.
"Chinwag Eathai, which opened in July, transports customers on a fun and authentic foray into Thai-style dining with the focus on tasty, healthy, freshly cooked food served quickly in stylish surroundings.”
The upper crust wildlife are indeed already clawing their way into Chinwag leaving nothing but empty Tattinger bottles behind them. Indochine, beware. It’s mating season and High Street is on heat. The architecture oozes Frank Lloyd Wright with a touch of high-class massage parlour (but in a very good way), and Chinwag brings a national first to Christchurch’s Asian-fusion dining market - communal dining. Anyone who has ventured across the ditch to Sydney recently may have heard about this international phenomenon-to-be.”