Rivers Dale Thai - Boroondara

Ordered at 6:45pm on a Saturday night, order 4 main courses (only) with the first 2 arriving at 7:05. Next arrived at 7:20 and last at 7:25 by which time the first 2 meals had been finished. Counted just 12 people in the whole restaurant so the chef was hardly under pressure. Food was very tasty, but over-priced, e.g. 3 orders of plain rice arrived in a large bowl and was priced at $9.00.

The food is great here. Service is usually quick. Staff are always pleasant. Like the smaller rooms, although can sometimes be a little noisy.

Went to Riversdale Thai last night for the first time and if I'm honest, I walked in with really low expectations. By the endof the night, they had exceeded my expectations and then some. It started with surprise at walking in. Every time we had driven past, it looked like a tiny two table place more suited for take-away. Once in the door, we realised they had made good use of the space and had tables in the various rooms of the house they had converted and was much bigger than we thought. We were positioned on the mezzanine level that overlooked the tables on the lower level. The ambience was really warm and lovely and despite there being quite a lot of people inside, the noise level wasn't overwhelming. We ordered chicken satay sticks and moneybags for entree and I thought the chicken satay sticks were the best I had had in a long time, being extremely tender. My partner loved the moneybags. I ordered my regular dish with the request of it being really really spicy. This is where Thai restaurants fall down for me as they rarely make it as spicy as I want and I am always asking for extra chilli. Well, the authentic Thai chef lived to his name because not only was my meal delicious, it was perfectly spicy. The service was also fantastic, clearing our plates promptly, but also giving space between the entree and main and leaving us alone after dinner. We didn't feel like we were being rushed out the door and my partner and I comfortably sat at the table talking the night away. We were shocked when we got in the car at how late it was. Our original plan was to grab a quick meal and head home so it says a lot for the place how long we stayed. The only negative was that they also made my partner's meal very spicy when he didn't request it and he is suffering today. Next time we will need to make it clear that the extra spicy order is for the one dish only. Looking forward to summer and enjoying the outdoor courtyard.

The quality of the food here is good which is why I'm so disappointed to write this negative review. We ordered takeaway to be delivered and were told it would be 45 minutes as it was a reasonably large order (12 dishes). So far no problem. After waiting one hour and 15 minutes, I call to check on the progress, thinking that perhaps the driver couldn't find our address or something similar. I was told that the driver was already on the way, so was expecting delivery in the next few minutes (the restaurant is 5 minutes drive away). After another 15 minutes pass and we still haven't had the delivery. I call them again and they say the driver is still at the restaurant and would I like to talk with him!! Put him on I say. The driver says sorry for the delay, but he would be leaving in another 5 or so minutes as he's still waiting for another dish or two to be ready. In other words, they lied to me the first time when they said he was on the way and after one and a half hours, the food is still not ready. Finally, the driver arrives. I check my phone log. Surely a new world record. One hour and fifty minutes from the time I ordered the food! You think they'd ring up and apologize for such appalling service, maybe offer a refund or something like that. Nothing. Very disappointing. As I said in the beginning, the food at Riversdale Thai is better than most Thai restaurants in the area, but it isn't worth it if you have to wait nearly two hours for your food.

You know you want to go out for a meal but don 't necessarily want anything lavish or expensive this time around? We 've all done this numerous times. This local is the ideal place. Plenty of character with 3 or 4 different rooms to select to dine in [ideal if you are looking for a private family function for example] and the food is good and wholesome. Flexible with the spice content so no need to worry if hot spice is not your scene. A pleasant place to eat and relax. Service OK. There is one aspect they should address however. The kitchen staff need to spruce up and look the part. A baseball cap worn in Leyton Hewitt style over long hair and not too clean looking shirt/shorts etc. may not appear to meet normal health standards. Another , quite possibly the owner, casually working in normal attire including a jacket without the required head covering is perhaps not a good look. It is a local restaurant but this needs to be spruced up somewhat if they want a better rating. We will go back when we want that casual relaxing meal. and/or perhaps a take away.