Thai takeaway in the heart of Newcastle
For those of you that have already come across this Darby St joint, there's no doubt you’ve been enjoying the somewhat secret hidden gem and their flavoursome Thai cuisine. Now, we’re sorry to burst your bubble, but we think it’s about time the rest of Newcastle knew about the explosion of flavours available at Bangkok on Darby.
Opening in November 2019 over the Supercars weekend, Bangkok on Darby resides in the spot that was formerly Screamin’ Veemis. Bringing their authentic Thai flavours to town, owner Parinya is excited to be a part of the Newcastle foodie community.
Originally from Thailand, Parinya followed her mum to Australia in 2012 at the young age of 16. Over the next few years, Parinya shadowed her mum around local restaurants where she learned the art of Thai cuisine.
“I’m from Thailand. I moved here eight years ago in 2012. My mum married here and we decided to move here to study and live with mum. Originally, we lived in Cessnock for 12 months. Then we moved to Maitland eventually and I still now live in Maitland.
“When I moved here at 16, my mum was always working in a restaurant and dragging me around to learn how to cook. My partner decided to open this space for me because he thinks I’m really good at cooking.”
With over six years of experience in the hospitality industry and Thai cooking, Parinya opened up Bangkok on Darby to be able to share her passion for Thai cuisine with the people of Newcastle.
“I built the whole menu myself, even the logo and the theme I did myself.”
For those looking for a new spot to get their weekly work takeaway lunch treat, the Thai joint located on where King St and Darby St intersect, have a daily $13 lunch special menu that runs from 11am-2.30pm. Our biggest suggestion would be to make sure to get there early! A queue forms quick, and whilst they’re mighty fast at slinging their meals out the door, with one whiff of the Thai flavours your tummy will be rumbling and it’ll be hard to keep waiting!
“We get a lot of people dining in at lunchtime, as people are wanting to get out of their office and have an escape.”
Popular dishes on both the lunch special menu and main menu include the traditional Pad See Ew, the Pad Thai, and the Crispy Pork.
“I love the look of the Choo Chee Prawn. It’s got coconut cream in there and it’s kind of like a curry but just a dry curry. It just tastes and looks so good!”
The venue also boasts a dedicated vegan menu, as well as plenty of options for gluten-free.
“We find a lot of vegans and vegetarians in Newcastle, so we created a dedicated vegan menu. We have a lot of options for gluten-free as well.”
The menu also has some special new additions made in-house by Parinya and her team, including the handmade sodas, Thai Milk Tea, and Thai Lemon Tea. If it’s a good cup of joe you’re after, you can rest assured knowing your coffee is made with local beans from Glitch Coffee Roasters.
With dreams to expand the Bangkok on Darby plan, we have no doubt that Parinya will continue to bring her authentic Thai cuisine and flavour explosions to the Newcastle community for many years to come.