Thai

Chat Thai

Pad Thai

(stir fried thin rice noodles with chicken, dried shrimps, bean sprouts, garlic, peanuts and chives in a tamarind and palm sugar sauce)

We found this a bit too sweet otherwise a very delicious pad Thai!

★★★★☆

Larpb Gai (spicy minced chicken salad)

Fresh tasting with a real spicy kick.

★★★★☆

Gaeng Keaw Gai (green curry with chicken, apple eggplants, kaffir lime leaves, chilli and basil)

★★★★☆

Mhu Bhing (grilled pork skewer) and Gai Satay (chicken satay skewer)

Both were good but I probably enjoyed the pork more so than the chicken.

★★★☆☆

Todt Mun Goong (prawn cakes with pickled plum relish)

Excellent crispy batter and a flavoursome dipping sauce.

★★★★☆

Gai Todt (crisp fried coconut milk marinated chicken with smoked chilli relish)

I was curious to see whether the chicken would taste any different with the coconut milk marinate. It didn’t. Just tasted like normal chicken.

★★★☆☆

Traditional Thai Drinking Cups

Cha Nohm Yen

(sweet iced tea with caramelised milk)

Milky, sweet and oh-so-delicious!

★★★★★

Overall:

Hands down the best Thai food I’ve had outside of Thailand and my mum’s kitchen. The menu here is huge and chock-full of authentic Thai dishes. The atmosphere was bustling, the service quick, and the staff all Thai. I have nothing else to say but CHAT THAI, PLEASE COME TO MELBOURNE!

Chat Thai

20 Campbell St, Haymarket, NSW

(02) 9211 1808

http://www.chatthai.com.au/

Red Spice Road

Chiang Mai pork relish with cassava crackers

This relish had such fantastic punch! A harmonious blend of sour, sweet, salty and spicy flavours made this pork relish very Thai and very delicious.

★★★★☆

Tamarind chilli chicken with red peppers and green onion

Sweet, sticky, spicy, standard.

★★☆☆☆

Pork belly, chilli caramel, apple slaw, black vinegar

Just as amazing as everyone says it is! The pork was melt-in-your-mouth tender and had a marvellous crispy skin, while the vinegar balanced out the sweetness of the chilli caramel sauce.

★★★★★

Barramundi, watermelon, cucumber, hot mint, chilli and coriander salad

I liked this salad except for all the soggy pieces of fried fish. If only the fish had been served on top of the salad rather than tossed into it.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

We ordered the $29.50 per person Express Lunch Banquet which included an appetiser, 3 mains and steamed rice. The servings were surprisingly generous making this banquet option fantastic value for money. Although I’m not the biggest fan of their circular communal tables, I do like the atmosphere and I would definitely come back for the pork belly!

Red Spice Road

27 McKillop St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9603 1601

http://redspiceroad.com/

Thai Tamarind

Gaeng Phed Ped Yang

(red duck curry with vegetables, pineapple and lychee)

Lots of colourful vegetables, generous amount of duck, while the pineapple and lychee added some nice sweetness.

★★★☆☆

Pad Bah Mee

(stir-fried rice noodles with carrot, egg, onion, cabbage and bean sprouts)

★★☆☆☆

Tom Yum

(clear spicy and sour soup with chicken, lemongrass, tomato, onion and mushroom)

Fragrant and mildly spicy.

★★☆☆☆

Mixed Entree

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

One of the few Asian restaurants in Margaret River, this place offered prompt service but average Thai fare. The ventilation here could also be improved as we left smelling strongly of stir fry.

Thai Tamarind

Shop 1/97 Bussell Highway, Margaret River, WA

(08) 9757 9041

http://www.thaitamarindmargaretriver.com/

Okra

Cassava crackers with sambal

You can’t go wrong with fresh complimentary crackers.

★★★☆☆

Eggplant with Homemade Sambal

★★☆☆☆

Ayam Merah Nonya

(red curry chicken with kaffir lime leaves)

Mildly spicy, tender chicken.

★★★☆☆

Pad Thai

(rice noodles with chicken, prawns, bean shoots and peanuts)

The tastiest Pad Thai I’ve had in a while. The noodles were cooked perfectly and unlike many other places, the dish wasn’t laden with sugar.

★★★★☆

Duo Seafood

(scallops and prawns with palm sugar and chilli)

From the menu description I thought this dish would predominantly comprise of scallops and prawns, not vegetables.

★★☆☆☆

Twice-cooked Black Pepper Duck with Champignon

Cooking the duck twice removed it from all its flavour, while the sauce had a disagreeable liver taste to it.

★☆☆☆☆

Overall:

Apart from the Pad Thai, the food was unremarkable. The staff however were very attentive as our dishes were taken away as soon as we were done with them and our water glasses were constantly being refilled (I don’t think my glass ever reached half empty). Note that this place is in the Entertainment Book.

Okra

159 Camberwell Rd, Hawthorn East, VIC

(03) 9813 1623

http://www.okrahawthorn.com.au/

Sabai

Wok tossed tofu, herbs, salted chilli, fried shallots and poached prawns served on prawn crackers

House made vegetarian spring rolls with sweet chilli sauce

Soft shell crab sliders with apple slaw

Slow cooked pork baby back ribs with red curry glaze

Slow braised lamb shank massaman, potato and cashews

Somtum – green papaya, carrots, snake beans, cirspy shrimps, Thai chilli, garlic, cashews, cherry tomatoes, lime and tamarind dressing

Tom Yum – spicy and sour soup with squid, mushrooms, prawns, tomatoes, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves

Crispy barramundi, fresh herbs and apple salad, chilli, lemongrass and sweet sour dressing

Steamed pandan, coconut and palm sugar puddings

Affagato – mini magnum, kahlua, espresso, toasted coconut

Thai tea panna cotta with coconut crumble and berries

Thai milk tea

Overall:

The word ‘sabai’ means comfortable or relaxed in Thai, and this restaurant is certainly a place where you can kick back, relax and enjoy lots of great contemporary Thai food. Authentic Thai cuisine is based on the fusion of five primary flavours: sweet, salty, sour, spicy and bitter. These flavours are combined to produce dishes of amazing intensity, and this was definitely the case for many of the dishes we sampled. The somtum in particular was like a flavour punch in the face! (but in a good way.) A place worth visiting for well balanced Thai food and friendly service.

Sabai

460 Church St, Richmond, VIC

(03) 8528 6884

http://sabairichmond.com.au/

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Sabai.

Khanom Chan

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cans coconut milk (800mL)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rice flour
2 cups tapioca starch
1/2 tsp jasmine extract
1/2 tsp pandan extract

Method:

Place sugar, coconut milk and water into a saucepan. Stir on medium heat until the sugar completely dissolves. Set aside to cool.
Prepare your steamer. Place an oiled tray into your steamer so that the tray heats up.
Combine rice flour and tapioca starch in a bowl.
Gradually add in the cooled coconut milk mixture (approximately half a cup at a time) and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or by hand (I prefer using my hand as I am able to feel for lumps a lot better).
Once the mixture is smooth, pour the mixture through a strainer.
Stir the mixture and divide into two portions. Place jasmine extract into one portion and pandan extract into the other portion. Mix each portion well.
Place a layer of jasmine mixture onto the tray in the steamer (The amount you place onto the tray will depend on your tray size, but you are aiming for a thickness of 2-3mm). Steam for 5 minutes.
Place a layer of pandan mixture onto tray. Steam for 5 minutes. Repeat this process using alternating mixtures until there is no mixture left. (Remember to give each mixture a good stir before pouring it onto the tray). Steam the final top layer for 8 minutes.
Allow the contents of the tray to cool.
Remove from tray and cut into small portions.

Overall:

This sweet, sticky, chewy dessert is one of my all time favourites and I am thrilled to have a perfect recipe for it.

Pho n Thai

Pad Thai

Stir fried noodles with meat, egg, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts

★★☆☆☆

Beef Japchae

Sweet potato noodles stir fried in sesame oil with vegetables, sliced beef and soy sauce

These noodles were tough and chewy, and the sauce was exceedingly sweet.

★☆☆☆☆

Singapore Noodles

Stir fried rice vermicelli with meat, bok choy, soy sauce and curry powder

★★☆☆☆

Laksa Noodle Soup

Coconut curry noodle soup with meat and vegetables

An average laksa that was overloaded with onion.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Despite the name being ‘Pho and Thai’ this place actually offered a range of Asian cuisines, and was completely staffed by Koreans. Food was passable, service was average and the atmosphere laid-back with orders taken at the counter.

Pho n Thai

39-49 Lake St, Cairns, QLD

(07) 4031 6001

Jinda Thai Restaurant

Green Apple Salad (deep fried soft shell crab topped with green apple salad dressing)

★★★☆☆

Pad Thai with prawns

★★★☆☆

Tofu Combo (tofu and mixed vegetable tempura served with crushed peanuts and sweet chilli sauce)

★★☆☆☆

Yellow Grilled Chicken Curry

Great for those who can’t do spicy.

★★★☆☆

Red Roasted Duck Curry

★★★☆☆

Minced Chicken Larb (hand roasted then grounded rice, crushed dry chilli, mint, red onion)

★★★☆☆

Cha Yen (Thai iced tea)

Just like it is in Thailand: intensely sweet.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

There was only one reason why I wanted to come here: crepe cakes. So when we were told that the maker of these popular desserts was on holiday in Thailand and that there were no crepe cakes available that night, I was DEVASTATED. The waitress tried to tempt us with some of their other desserts but none of them seemed on par with the crepe cakes. But luckily the other food we sampled that night was thoroughly enjoyable so I didn’t leave the place feeling completely disappointed. I was told by a friend that portion sizes had reduced over time, so we simply ordered an extra dish to compensate. The atmosphere was lively while service was average as it was difficult getting the staff’s attention at times. In any case, I must return one day for those sought after crepe cakes!

Jinda Thai Restaurant

7 Ferguson St, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9419 5899

Thaiger

“Pou-Nim” Black Burger

(crispy softshell crab, granny smith Asian slaw, sweet and tangy dressing)

★★☆☆☆

Tom Yum Goong Burger

(grilled spicy prawns, fresh herbs, coriander, lettuce, Tom Yum mayo)

A tasty burger that was a bit stingy with the prawns.

★★★☆☆

Taro String

Best eaten while hot (as they are no longer crispy once they have cooled down)

★★★☆☆

Lemongrass Pork Chop Burger

(grilled 24 hour lemongrass marinated pork chop, cucumber, mint, mixed leaves, caramelised onion, “Nam Jim Jeaw” dressing)

Tasty tender pork chop that was very well marinated.

★★★☆☆

Prawn Croquette Burger

(prawn croquette, Asian slaw, sriracha mayo)

★★★☆☆

Crispy Sweet Corn Fritters

Extremely chewy with an unusual texture.

★★☆☆☆

Chick-Chick Bang-Bang Burger

(crispy chicken thigh fillet, Thai sweet chilli mayo, tomato, lettuce, sliced boiled egg)

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Delicious Thai inspired flavours and ingredients can be found at this unique little burger joint. There are 14 different burgers to choose from as well as 7 house salads and a number of sides which include taro string, grilled pork skewers, fish cake and corn fritters. Deciding what to order was quite tough as everything on the menu sounded amazing. Each burger turned out to be surprisingly filling considering their moderate size. The brioche buns were perfect (buttery, crispy, not too sweet) however the black burger bun was a bit dry. Service was a little slow and there are only 3 small tables available so if you come during peak lunch time, be prepared to get a takeaway. In any case I wouldn’t mind coming back here to try the rest of their burgers.

Thaiger

Shop 16 The Walk Arcade, 8 Causeway Lane, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9663 8558

http://www.thaiger.com.au/

FOF Rotary Hotpot

481 Victoria St, Abbotsford 9023 6672

Although this wasn’t my first rotary hot pot experience (my first being in Thailand), I still found the colourful plates of food gliding around the room captivating. FOF Rotary Hotpot is the first of its kind in Melbourne and is currently offering all-you-can-eat for $28.80. How this place works is that each person has their own pot directly in front of them. The first step is to choose a soup to cook all your hot pot ingredients in. The soups available include Nutrition soup (plain clear soup with Chinese mushroom and goji berries), Miso soup, Tom Yum soup and Chinese Spicy soup (be warned, this soup is VERY spicy). The next step is to grab whatever meat/fish/vegetable/noodle dish that takes your fancy and cook it in your soup. Once you’ve finished eating, grab more food and repeat.

An extensive hot pot menu was also given to us so that we could order items that weren’t coming around often enough or those that didn’t seem to be coming around at all (eg. quail eggs).

A large selection of prepackaged condiments were available to have with our hot pot. (I can’t believe that people feel the need to add extra MSG to their already MSG enhanced food)

The hot items available were either extremely dry or extremely oily. Don’t waste your stomach space on these items.

The sushi was unexceptional and had been sitting in the fridge for a while before being served.

Overall:

A fun experience (especially for those who have never tried hot pot or rotary hot pot before), a large variety of food (except for dessert as there was only coconut tapioca pudding) and quick friendly service (empty plates were promptly taken away and there was always someone around offering to refill our soup).