Ahhh to be back in Edinburgh after a year and a half away felt so good. The moody city sprawled between small hills always manages to look cold while giving the chilled visitor a cozy feeling. Despite an eight hour plane delay, I was greeted with blue skies and stunning castle views from Chaophraya, the Thai restaurant my friend and I enjoyed for our reunion dinner.

The reflections don’t make for a lovely photo, but the glassed in terrace really was an exceptional dinner spot as the sun was setting.

My dining companion and I shared the steamed chicken dumplings and shrimp tempura, both of which were well-flavored and satisfying, but not too heavy.

For the main, I was torn between half the menu and at the last moment opted for pad thai with pork belly. The dish was good and came with a pile of peanuts and chili flakes you could mix in to your liking. I opted for all of it and ended up with some seriously spicy bites, but it was a joyful plate and something different with the very abundant pork, which I couldn’t manage to finish.