Pad Thai and a Gift Shop (by Biggs)

Well, tonight was an eye opener - Amanda and I were hanging in Newtown and wandered the streets looking for food at dinner time. Nothing really grabbed our attention until we spotted this place which was absolutely pumping, bulging at the scenes with people.

Turns out it's a bit of an icon in Sydney. The food - some spring rolls, calamari, pad thai and beef curry - was all great but what was more impressive was the service. Every table seemed to come with a team of 10 waiters buzzing around providing a level of customer service I've not witnessed before.

After dinner you're invited to peruse the gift shop - yes, the restaurant had a gift shop. Not keen to buy anything? No matter - you're rewarded 'Thai Pothong' dollars in exchange for eating here so you can 'pick yourself up something nice' without even opening your wallet.

We left with two giant pencils in the shape of a komodo dragon and two mini-recliners in which you can rest your mobile phone when it's tired. Yep - this is a thing that happened.