What people have been saying about us...

Lonely Planet 2010 – recommended

Qantas magazine August 2010

- The buzz among foodies of late has been for ….. Chinwag Eathai…..

Michael Guy’s Eating out (NZ) 2010 –

Chinwag Eathai focuses on modern Thai fare set in stylish surroundings. It’s by far the most interesting Thai restaurant in the country, reminiscent of the famous Longrain in Sydney. There’s tons of dark wood with muted lighting, long tables downstairs for the modern “share a table” experience, or there’s more traditional table seating upstairs from where you can see downstairs. Plus there’s an extremely good bar where you can enjoy a champagne, Thai themed cocktail or even enjoy a few dishes at the bar leaner. It’s a wonderful atmosphere with absolutely no pretentiousness, the focus just on giving diners a really great night out. The staff are very professional and very friendly. It really is worth getting a group of friends together to share a big table. Run by well-known Canterbury restaurateur Tony Astle, Chinwag Eathai has proved to be a hit. Its success has prompted the opening of Chinwag Eathai 2 on Victoria St. The quite extensive menu offers dishes such as Wok-fried duck, Chicken larb, va Panang beef curry, Caramelised pork hock with chilli vinegar or the Mussels with chilli jam, all around the $28 mark. Chinwag Eathai certainly lives up to its motto – “Bloody good food … made with love.”

Christchurch Press 2010

Pleasurable Thai feast

On a Friday night, there aren't many places worth going to that can take a group of five at the drop of a hat.
That's one of the benefits of heading somewhere off my after- work radar but still just a short hop from the city centre. Chinwag Eathai's original High St restaurant is a food lover's favourite, with its take on modern Thai such a success, bookings are essential.

Little wonder then that owner Tony Astle decided to replicate his success at a second site.
We arrive to an almost-full restaurant, are greeted and seated by a slick and efficient type, likely the manager, and are handed menus that, after a preliminary glance, have us all eyeing up more than one dish. We strike up an "all for one, one for all" arrangement.

t's the end of a long week and I am in search of a grown-up drink. I find it in the form of a Night Market. This pineapple, passionfruit, lemongrass, mint and ginger medley (yes, no alcohol) loses out to my sister's mandarin and camomile margarita in the looks department but I gloat when I taste it, so pleased am I that mine is the better.

In fact, I'm so keen to share it that I share it all over the table after just one sip. I order another and it comes at no charge - a nice touch, seeing it was my clumsiness that created the spillage.

We order some starters, which are really just a bite, tasty morsels to whet the appetite before the main event.
I'm pleased when my spinach leaf with smoked salmon, galangal and salmon roe arrives. I'm not usually a fan of fish eggs of any kind but I wrap up the fish and the roe in the fresh spinach leaf and down it goes without a second thought.

The intermission between courses isn't long - not once do we look hopefully in the direction of the kitchen, though there is one awkward moment when a dish destined for another table is held in front for all of us to see.
When the mains arrive, we're glad we took the musketeer approach, as each dish proves to be a pleasure. It doesn't escape us that our cacophony ends with the arrival of food, the biggest conversation stopper being the caramelised pork hock with chilli vinegar. There's not enough for two pieces for each of us and, being the only bloke, Dan had no choice but to be a gentleman and let ladies go first. Chivalry isn't completely dead.
As is often the case with Thai cuisine, we're not tempted by the dessert menu, though I do briefly consider ordering the caramel custard with crunchy banana and vanilla icecream, but decide against it.

We're done and dusted in about an hour and a half, so the meal made a nice end to a night out rather than an evening in itself. We get up to go, realising that though it's not yet 10pm, we're the last diners standing.
A shame, really. I knew I'd had a great meal because I was planning a return before I'd even got out the door.
The Victoria St location is one of those addresses where many other (now forgotten) places have been before but I think this Chinwag Eathai tenant will be extending its lease. COLLEEN SIMPSON

Cuisine Magazine - September 2009

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.

Cuisine Magazine - May 2009

New Zealand restaurant of the year Finalist

Michael Guy's Eating Out (NZ) 2009

"Its an amazingly busy place, understandably given theres nothing much else like it around..."

NZ Herald - March 2009

BEST PLACE TO EAT AND DRINK

Chinwag Eathai in High Street is good for a group, modern Thai in modern decor.

Jetstar Magazine - Chinwag feature, October 2007

BLOODY DELICIOUS

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.

The Press – Chinwag Eathai feature, August 2007

"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.”

Slynkey - Chinwag feature, August 2007

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.”

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