Wangthai is an authentic Thai restaurant that both looks and tastes the part.

Located upstairs overlooking Nelson Mandela Square, the dining area conveys an air of exotic Asian elegance: candlelit tables, backlit wall panels, patterned overhead lights, sparse white flower arrangements and dragon statues lurking throughout. Seating is either in the indoor dining area, the semi-enclosed patio, or the outdoor terrace.

Luckily, the food matches the decor in terms of authenticity. The classic Thai menu features a wide range of soups, salads, and satays for appetizers, from which we chose the meang khum (a house speciality) and chicken satay. The meang khum was a crunchy, delightful mix of spinach, onions, nuts, roasted coconut and chillies served in a cone, while the chicken satay was appropriately succulent and the peanut sauce was delectable.

Aside from the food there is a massive wine list and a variety of creative desserts– we chose the chocolate spring roll, which was the perfect cap to a lovely meal.

A quick chat with the manager revealed that Wangthai employs a fleet of five to seven actual Thai chefs at any given time, thus ensuring the quality and authenticity of the food.

The food was served quickly, despite the restaurant being busy, and the server seemed knowledgeable of the large menu. The only (minor) drawback was the paper napkins/serviettes — you’d think in an establishment of this caliber would offer actual linens, but this hardly ruined our meal.

Wangthai is a solid choice for high-end Asian on the square.