Green Papaya restaurant at Woolloongabba is mix of Balinese and Thai cuisine with two clearly defined menu’s to choose from. The restaurant also seems to be a mix of fine dining and casual with a rather romantic atmosphere inside with candles and white table cloths yet it still manages to be casual and comfortable.

The slight confusion in who they are aside, Green Papaya is a pleasant place to dine and on my two visits in recent weeks have found the staff both times highly attentive and super friendly.

For entrees we tried the spring rolls (12.90). There’s not much more to say really – spring rolls are generally pretty good in my book if they have the right balance of ingredients and these were no different although I think a bit pricey.

Som Tum ($15.90), Green Papaya salad with chilli, lime & palm sugar sauce was a large serve and a very refreshing and light way to start the meal although again I think $15.90 is a little excessive for a salad entree.

The Mixed Thai Entree ($18.90) consisted of chicken skewers, spring rolls, curry puffs, and fish cakes and I think this is the best way to go if you’re getting an entree as you get more variety for your money with the chicken skewers being the stand out favourite.

The Island Curry ($28.90), roast duck curry with pineapple, lychee and tomato was simply delicious on my first visit. The presentation of the curry – coming out in half a pineapple was quite impressive although I think either the pineapple or the air conditioning made the duck go cold a little quick! The duck meat was in abundance and the meal was very fresh and summery. On the second visit, the duck meat was not as impressive and seemed to be a bit more chewy and less quality pieces  of meat, which was a bit disappointing after the first experience.

The Gaeng, (23.60/$26.90) is a choice of red, green or Penang style curry with a choice of chicken, lamb, beef, tofu, prawns or snapper. Friend had the Penang style with prawns and this serve was quite large with big juicy prawns.

On the Balinese side of the menu I tried the Rendang Sapi ($22.90) which is a beef curry with coconut and Sumatran spices. The beef came with a serve of roti which was perfect to dunk into the bowl and soak up all the sauce. The only issue with the deep bowl was the sauce sank down quite low and so there were a few dry pieces of beef however, when you got passed the top
part the beef fell away from the fork with exciting ease - it really was so tender and scrumptious.

Green Papaya is a pleasant place to go if you are on the South side and looking for somewhere a bit quieter and romantic to visit. The food and service were overall quite nice and I could easily return for another serve of the Rendang Sapi however, I can’t help but feel the pricing is a little confused especially for the entrees.

Where?

Green Papaya Restaurant

http://www.greenpapaya.com.au/index.php

Corner Potts & 898 Stanley St East, Woolloongabba

(07) 3891 5000