Absolute Thai Restaurant

Absolute Thai used to be one of the restaurants in the outdoor section of Hornsby Westfield. Then, around 2 years ago, they moved the restaurant into premises in the Hornsby Inn opposite. Just after they completed the new fit-​out, the «Hornado» (mini-​tornado in Hornsby around 15 months ago) took the roof off and caused problems.
Fast forward to December 2014 and I went there for my gym’s Xmas dinner. I have to say, they coped with a large group extremely well. We had about 30 people and there were several other large groups there for Xmas parties at the same time.
They could handle the fact that we didn’t all want the banquet (or that some of us didn’t want to share 3 or 4 plates). So everyone got what they wanted to eat. Many had taken wine, but being on the Inn’s premises, you could buy just about anything, including impressive-​looking mocktails.
The food is good Thai. What set it apart is that the meals are huge. $ 19.90 saw a tasty Thai beef salad that was really meant to be shared. One of our group had the soft-​shelled crab which looked great, and it was another huge serve. Everyone ended up with food left over.
So, food: good and generous. If you shared a plate, you could get out of it quite cheaply.
What let it down for me are a few things. First, because it’s good for groups, it was noisy. I had trouble hearing the people sitting opposite me. That may not bother some, but it does bother me. Second, the chairs are timber seats with no cushions and an open-​framed back with no fill between the frames. I got up to get a drink after I’d been sitting for an hour, and could barely walk. I did see some padded booth-​type seats in another area, and they would probably be more comfortable. I guess the chairs are designed to deter lingering!
Last, the toilets. They use the pub toilets, and while they are clean, they are tiny. In the women’s toilet, they crammed 3 cubicles in an area that would probably have been better as 2. The cubicles are barely wider than the door, and so narrow that in order to get past the door to get in, I had to swing over the toilet. So glad that I don’t make a habit of leaving my phone in my pocket in that situation!
I really hope that they have a separate disabled toilet, because anyone with mobillity issues would have buckley’s chance of using these! They do have a disabled access entrance through the pub (the main entrance is separate to the pub, up a short flight of stairs).
Anyway, if the ups outweigh the downs for you, it’s a pretty good place to go, and definitely copes well with groups.

These guys seem to do a roaring trade. It won’t be the best Thai food you’ve eaten, but for a nice, casual dinner in Hornsby, it’s a good bet.
It’s BYO wine, which goes some way to mitigate the slightly overpriced meals. Curries will set you back $ 18.90 ($ 22.90 if you opt for seafood), stir-​fries $ 17.90 ($ 21.90 for seafood), and though delicious, the Money bags seem way too expensive at $ 2.50 a pop. And other dishes like duck or crab creep up into the mid $ 20s.
I usually can’t go past the Sizzling Seafood ($ 20.90), which goes nicely with a glass of BYO sav blanc. You can wait a while for your meal, but if you tell them you’re rushing to a movie (at the upstairs Event Cinemas), they’ll do a very quick turn around for you.
Some nights I’ve wandered past and heard live music playing, but (fortunately or unfortunately?) I haven’t yet experienced a serenaded dinner. The restaurant both inside and outside is already quite loud, so adding a band can’t exactly be conducive to a nice dinner time conversation.