I started to write this post several days ago about my dinner at Chaophraya in Aberdeen, but got sidetracked on how much I appreciate the light in that fair city and that became another post about Aberdeen-love: here.
But now I’m ready to share my restaurant experience. I went to Chaophraya as a weary traveler on a recent business trip, the Sunday night of my arrival at midday on Sunday. I included some of the “poor me, ravaged traveler, here are my learnings” details (hopefully in a helpful or humorous way, or both), in this post soon after the trip.
I have a hard-and-fast rule to NEVER nap upon arrival when traveling internationally, to help myself acclimate to the time zone, so I trudged through Aberdeen, in the rain (the only day without the golden light I raved about in the previous post), buying a jacket to replace the one I absentmindedly left in the Houston airport lounge, walking past pubs that The Grill-Meister and I had visited on our 2023 15th anniversary trip in a quest to visit the ‘oldest pub in Aberdeen’ (a very controversial subject within some Aberdeen circles) and sending him pics, going to the Maritime Museum – anything to stay awake. I took random, jet-lagged photos.
Finally, it was time for dinner.
If I eat dinner on a travel day in a leisurely way, it doesn’t matter how early I go to bed. I have won the battle with myself to stay up and kill the jet lag zombie-feeling by powering through one very long day—and sleeping through one very long night. Dinner is the final milestone in the international travel-day marathon.
I freshened up from the soggy afternoon adventures at my hotel and then walked in the drizzle toward the high street, aimlessly, hoping a suitable restaurant would magically appear.
And then I saw it: Chaophraya.
Thai food.
Yes.
I had eaten there before, alone, on a similar trip, and had good memories, although blurry ones. (I think it was also on a jetlag day.) It looked like an oasis, glistening in the rain, on the corner of Union Terrace and Union Street, and blissfully, only a 7-minute walk from my hotel. A little research today revealed that the Aberdeen location of this 6-restaurant Scotland ‘chain’ occupies a historic granite building constructed between 1882 and 1885 for the Northern Assurance Company, designed by renowned Scottish architect A. Marshall Mackenzie. He designed many other buildings of note in Aberdeen, including the magnificent front of Marischal College. The A-listed structure that now houses Chaophraya showcases beautifully intricate architectural details, including Ionic columns, carved garlands, and medallions representing Aberdeen and London heraldry. I didn’t get a picture of it – too tired! – but found one online.
This would be my home for the night. I entered, bedraggled, jet-lagged, weary and rain-soaked.
Immediately, I knew it was the right choice. Chaophraya is beautiful, inside and out, and it was a special night: they were celebrating Songkran, the Thai New Year Festival, and immediately brought me a complimentary glass of prosecco.
Woohoo!
I was early for dinner and the restaurant wasn’t super-busy (yet) on this damp and gray Sunday night in April, and perhaps that’s why my server took a special interest in me. I took a special interest in her, too, as she was one of those bright young people whose bright future glows around them like a halo. She was a student at the University of Aberdeen and had lived in Australia and Asia before coming to Scotland, and we had a great conversation about travel, food, music and life. She was a terrific menu consultant, inquiring about my tastes and preferences (I like it hot!) and steered me to the Udon Pad Kee Mao Talay”, which translates to “Udon Drunken Noodles with Seafood” in English. She also believed me when I said my heat/spice tolerance is high, but after more probing questions, gentled counseled me to choose Level 3 / Very Spicy instead of Level 4 / Thai Spicy. She was right on all counts.
This dish was delicious! The seafood included king prawns, squid, mussels and scallops, stir-fried with sugar snap peas, carrot, peppers, onion,garlic, chiles, peppercorns, basil and krachai (in the ginger family). It’s actually a fusion dish, as udon noodles are Japanese, rather than Thai, and it works. It was rich, fiery, and deeply aromatic, and the vegetables were every bit as tasty as the seafood. The mix of flavors and textures was perfect, from the slightly briny seafood to the crunch and color of the fresh vegetables to the brightness of the herbs and the heat of the chiles and peppercorns.
And I had a first-time experience: eating fresh green peppercorns in a bunch right off the stem. They were a burst of peppery freshness with a particularly satisfying crunch. I learned while researching today that serving fresh green peppercorns this way is an authentic Thai culinary practice. Check them the peppercorns on the right side of the close-up picture.
I don’t usually eat dessert but once again, a conversation with my server resulted in an excellent choice. Sweet things don’t appeal to me much, although I’m a sucker for salty-sweet, and even more so if you dangle spicy-sweet in front of me. When she described the Mango Sticky Rice with Salted Coconut Cream, I was intrigued, but I wanted that a spicy kick. What could the chef do for me? She had a quick discussion with the chef and they offered to add a side of Thai red chile peppers … sold!
This dessert was a keeper! It is simple, fresh elegance. The thick, salted coconut cream sauce has a rich, creamy texture, balancing the sweetness of the rice and the fresh tang of the mango, and the heat of the chiles added a welcome, fiery pop. The combination of the warm, slightly chewy rice, the cool, succulent mango and the spicy-sweet mix of the coconut cream sauce garnished with red chiles made it a satisfying and refreshing end to my meal. The only thing that would have made this better would be a pinch of finishing salt, let’s say habanero-infused pink Himalayan sea salt flakes. I shared this with my server who told the chef, and he said thought it was a good idea and would add that for me the next time I come in. 😊
I really appreciated the chef’s willingness to satisfy my itch for spicy-sweetness in my dessert. I usually ask for my meal to be made spicy in some way that the chef finds appropriate, but I often get a dish of red pepper flakes and a glare. When the restaurant cares about individual tastes, the meal will never disappoint you.
Thank you, Chaophraya, for a very memorable evening. What jetlag?
© 2025, Glover Gardens
Looks very nice indeed. 👍🏻
It was! Thank you for your comment – it’s always so nice to know someone is reading and appreciating. What do you think of spicy-sweet?
I have been to the one in Glasgow but only when it was vey busy and it all seemed very rushed. Maybe we need to try it again at an earlier time to appreciate it more. I remember the food was very good though – no issues with that. I didn’t know it was a chain till you mentioned Aberdeen!
I didn’t know it was a chain, either, until I did some research to write the post. It didn’t ‘feel’ like a chain. I think you’re right about going earlier… or maybe on a rainy Sunday evening, like I did. I’d love to hear what you think if you go back.