By Henry O'Donovan, bondirestaurants.com

It's not every day that you can get what you actually want in a restaurant, know what I mean? If its not overcrowded, the food is late, or cold, or late and cold! I've been in places where my birthday has passed a few times before my chicken arrived. So I was more than surprised when I entered, with 12 other people, Intra Thai on Curlewis Street, Bondi on a very busy Wednesday night, demanding a table for so many people. "Half your luck" I thought to myself. "Of course, come in", said the very polite asian lady. They made space for us all.

I was impresed. Very impressed. She had no idea we were from bondirestaurants.com, so there were no favours here.

Now there were in all, 13 of us. We were not sure whether we should order a platter, or order individually. But oh no! There was no option for a platter on the menu! But that didn't phase the staff of Intra Thai. They could create one for us if we wanted. Was there anything these people couldn't do? They got us all seated in a full restaurant at no notice, and now they were creating a custom menu for us. Was I floating in some kind of shangri-la of the restaurant world? Anyway, we decided to get a set of entrees for everyone, and then order our own meals separately.

The staff moved swiftly around this packed restaurant with the kind of precision that would impress even the elitist of armies, armed with food and all kinds of nicities, and they did it with a smile. Did I mention I was impresed? Well, I was.

We happily accepted that we would be waiting a while for the food, given the fact that we stormed their restaurant en-masse and unannounced. But no. The entrees were in front of us before I got my first slurp of wine down. And not too many slurps later the mains arrived, as usual with swift precision and a smile that would make you feel like Oliver who actually DID get more. And talking of more. The food was generous. No cutting corners here. Not only generous, but outstandingly good. I won't go into the details here because that's my co-partner in crime, Caroline Foreman's job.

While I was videoing our piece outside two people were leaving the restaurant and I over-heard the lady say to a guy "Why didn't you tell me about this place before?". Indeed. Why hadn't he? Well I'm telling you about it now, because if you are interested in a pleasant night eating out, where you are made to feel special, and without having to throw all your money away, this is for you. Intra Thai on Curlewis Street, Bondi Beach will be around for a long long time, because they know how to treat people, and their service is excellent, not to mention the food.

I was impressed. Very impressed. Did I mention that?

LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW!

By Caroline Foreman, bondirestaurants.com

Before I even lived in Bondi I had eaten at Intra Thai – it was a Bondi institution, a fabulously inexpensive and charming place, notable for its authentic décor and famous for its food, particularly the renowned Intra Beef – beef with peanut sauce elevated far beyond your ordinary Satay Beef. In fact, I clearly remember on that first visit one of our dining companions gently suggesting that we might like to order the Intra Beef, with a steely determination that suggested there would be fisticuffs, or at least a temper tantrum on a grand scale if we didn’t. That was nearly 20 years ago, which illustrates how long this place has been around.

There have been a few changes since, particularly to the décor, but the food is still fabulous (though there seem to be some new, non-traditional additions like Gyoza, Fresh Rice Paper Roll, Salt & Pepper Squid and a create-your-own-noodle bar, which show that the menu, like the décor, has also been updated to reflect these modern – and competitive – times.) And whilst I regret the loss of the crisp white tablecloths, the sound-smothering carpets, the ornate wall-paper, and traditional Thai dress, a quick glance around the restaurant shows that the renovated, fresh, modern, clean, noisy look hasn’t impeded business at all. Or, perhaps, the fact that they haven’t changed the quality of the food has ensured that regulars still keep on turning up. And turning up. And turning up – like we used to, until we decided we probably try a few more restaurants that Bondi had to offer.

Often we would go there and just feast on entrees ($6.20 - $9.00). There was something decadent about plate after plate of entrees. Fish Cakes, Intra Prawns, Money Bags, Curry Puffs, Spring Rolls, Stuffed Chicken Wing, Khao Tang Intra (a spicy minced crab and chicken dip) and my favourite, the Prawn and Chicken on Sugarcane which has, sadly, disappeared. Fortunately we graduated to main courses as well. ($11.90 for chicken, beef, pork or vegies, $14.90 for lamb, $16.50 for seafood). Favourites and recommendations include nearly all of the curries - Green Curry, Red Curry, Massaman Curry, Jungle Curry, and Penang Curry. Unless you're a fan of lychees, pineapple and tomatoes in your curry, the Roast Duck Curry may not appeal...though if you're a duck fanatic, you may not care.

The stir-fries, (Cashew Nut and Chilli Jam, Garlic Sauce, Lemongrass and Chilli Sauce, Sizzling Hot Plate, Hot Chilli and Basil and the legendary Intra Beef, just to name a few) are all a treat. The Gai Yang and Crying Tiger (both $13.50) from the Charcoal Grill are fabulous too. And, if you like, you can also try a side dish or salad (Mee Grob, Yum Som Zarrs, Larb, Plar Goong, or a classic Thai Beef, Lamb, Calamari or Duck Salad). And the Pad Thai and Pad See Ew (hidden in the noodle bar menu) are just as good as ever. As you can see, we like this place a lot. And I think you'll like it too.