We catch up with owners Paul and Pim and they tell us about some of the highlights of the year.
We also get a sneak peek into some of their future plans for Thaiger.
Tell us about some of the highlights of 2023 for Thaiger?
The arrival of two new chefs from 5-star hotels in Thailand has been hugely significant as they have brought experience and improved every dish on the menu. From a personal perspective, the arrival of our grandchild in February has by far been the highlight for us.
Thaiger has become a popular go to restaurant in recent months, what do you think are the key ingredients to its growing popularity?
We've dedicated resources to enhance both the interior and exterior, making it as comfortable as possible with an inviting ambiance. The customers love the main room and the green garden room on the side. The outside front area has also had heating installed and we are building new planter box screens for privacy and wind protection. We see a lot of local dog walkers sitting there now dropping by for a snack and a drink on their way to Western Springs Park which is great to see.
Last we spoke, you had been busy creating new dishes – have there been more changes to the menu recently?
Our popular two-person platter has been a huge hit and customers love the platter concept so we are about to launch a new seafood and a Thai BBQ platter. We have introduced already the Royal Thai Platter for four which is served on an amazing antique revolving food stand. This is booked on request once per day and is mostly fully booked until January next year. We are trying to source more of the stands so we can fulfil demand. We encourage guests to contact us regarding availability as we may be able to help.
With the festive season upon us, you’ve already started getting a lot of function bookings.
Do you have minimum and maximum group requirements?
We are flexible on numbers and host functions from six to 60 guests. Bookings are filling up fast especially for December.
However, we like to limit functions on the popular nights as we don’t like to disappoint walk-in customers which account for up to half of our guests on any given night.
Now we are nearing the end of 2023, can you let us in on some plans for Thaiger in 2024?
We are looking to expand our takeaway offering as we often have to turn off our online ordering system due to being too busy catering to dine-in guests.
We are actively looking for a commercial kitchen nearby to dedicate to takeaway and food preparation for the restaurant.
Also coming up very shortly are regular Thai street barbecue evenings with charcoal smoked chickens, a variety of grilled skewers, accompanied by Thai salads and of course sticky rice.
Everything will be barbecued at the front of the shop so customers can experience the smells and visuals of Thai barbecue and be served straight from the grill.
THAIGER, 2 Surrey Crescent, T: 09 360 0695, www.thaiger.co.nz
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Published: November 2023