Green Papaya @ Stanley St East, Brisbane

Ever since I left home and started to get used to the concept of paying rent, I realised that my eating out patterns have changed tremendously. For starters back in Malaysia, I wouldn't mind paying RM50 (AUD 15-17) per pax for a normal weekend lunch or a RM100 (AUD 33-35) for a nice catch up dinner (not that it can buy you much these days).


Comparatively, I earn the same amount now in AUD but to splurge more than AUD 30 per pax seems almost exclusive to celebrations especially when our usual eating out doesn't seem to exceed AUD 20 per pax.


With that thought stuck in mind, that night, I suggested we go out for a nicer dinner at Green Papaya.


Having heard that this is a place to go for Thai and other South East Asian cuisine, there were some expectations although having not eaten good Thai food in what seems like a century, that level was never going to be very high.

It's been a long while since I seen a proper setting.

In some ways, it was good that the Gang I eat with joined us, so we could order a few more dishes to share.

The Tamarind Fish was well balanced with sweet and sour notes, brilliant start to a meal.

The Pad Kangaroo was exciting on paper; letting you imagine a jumping animal on your plate while in reality, we are really doing the nation a favour by eating some of it before they conquer the country like the Apes. The lean meat was thankfully not over-cooked and the curry that went with it was delicious without numbing your tongue.

This may look like a plate of fried rice but don't let the looks deceive you. In fact, this is a plate of Tahu Telur, silk soft tofu wrapped with egg and deep fried to a crisp, served with a sweet (almost rojak-like sauce, for those who know what I am talking about). Very nicely done, probably even better than the ones I get in Malaysia.

Not ordering a roast duck curry in a Thai restaurant is akin to not ordering Sweet and Sour Pork in a Chinese Takeaway for me. It is crucial and failure to not order it, causes a mental war in your head, with the question, should I or should I not. Served in a pretty pineapple, this was really scrumptious, with the only question in the head; do they recycle the pineapple for the next person?

What looks like an otak otak is a chicken mousse which was very mild in flavour but fragrant to the nose. For those who can't eat spicy, this is the dish to order.

I have friends who are in the transfer pricing business and all I hear from them is benchmarking margins, profits and etc. With me, I benchmark the quality of Pad Thai when I go to a Thai restaurant. Above average I would say, not the best I have had but certainly a good contender.


While Green Papaya doesn't win any awards for big portions or cheap pricing, it does deliver a good experience by serving good Thai cuisine and yet has a good enough vibe for a romantic date, with a casual setting to catch up with a few friends.

Verdict: 4 stars out of 5 stars. This place seems to be the place for Thai food for me but if there's any place that you think serves even better Thai food in Brisbane, let me know!