Ping Pong

Newstead's Thai restaurant Ping Pong is utterly, unabashedly fun. If you don’t immediately sense that from the pink picnic tables outside, you will from the pink floor, pink walls, pink bar, pink stools, pink bench seating and pink Buddah statues inside. Yes, it’s all pink. At least until you look up to the ceiling, where multi-coloured globe lights reminiscent of ping pong balls float above the entire venue—or you head down the back to the secret jungle-inspired area filled with huge circular booths.

Once you’re seated (at recycled plastic tables, which we love) and you’ve finally stopped ‘gramming absolutely everything, you can lay your eyes on the menu, which is also pink, obviously. It's also completely fresh, with new head chef Sarawut Thongmee taking up the reins under the guidance of co-owner Bowyo Muangsong and introducing a whole new line up of Thai dishes.

If you’re too busy ogling the decor to peruse the list, here’s what you should order: Start with the fried chicken bao with fish sauce caramel and caramelised pork ribs with tamarind. Then, move on to the barbecue wagyu beef, beef short rib massaman curry and pork jowel red curry. Add on sides of roti bread, turmeric coconut rice and som tum papaya salad and you’ll be looking about as round as those light globes by the time you leave. 

To pair with it all, there’s a full cocktail menu to work your way through not to mention ice cold boozy slushies in a new flavour every week. But if we had you at ‘all-pink’ restaurant, book a table now. 

Image credit: Ping Pong | Rachael Baskerville