The owner of the Cute Corner Cuisine, using the Facebook account Diow Saardyen, posted on her Facebook wall that the banquet was not as expensive as critics thought and pointed out that her eatery is a small, one-room shop, not an expensive luxury restaurant.

After Thanathorn posted a photo of him having a meal with his party MPs, critics were quick to respond. Several comments attacked the party, saying that while it was pushing for social equality and criticising the elite, the party MPs acted like the elite themselves.

Even a red-shirt leader, joined the fray. Nopporn Namchiangtai, a leader of a red-shirt group and a TV 24 channel host, shared the photo and said: “This picture needs no description. This meal definitely cost at least Bt100,000”.

But Diow said in her post that the shop charged the MPs just Bt600 a head and that everyone had paid their own way.

She said her restaurant offers dishes at prices starting from Bt80 and that patrons can more than satisfy their appetites for between Bt180 to Bt220.

She added that the eatery, which measures just 4×12 metres, looks large and luxurious thanks to the talents of her architect designer husband and his clever use of lighting.