Thai

Red Mango Thai Restaurant

3a Station St, Oakleigh 9569 6879

Pad gra prow with prawns

Stir fried prawns, chilli, onion, mixed vegetables and basil in a medium spicy sauce

More sweet than spicy

= Not bad

Red Duck Curry

Sliced Peking duck braised in a red curry with vegetables and Thai herbs

Minimal duck, minimal spiciness

= Not bad

Larb gai

A traditional Thai salad with minced chicken cooked in lemon juice, herbs, chilli and red onion

There was an overpowering taste of fish sauce and there was a lot more salad than chicken (which shouldn’t be the case when it comes to larb gai)

= Not bad

Pad Thai

Stir fried rice noodles with egg, ground peanuts, vegies and bean sprouts

= Not bad

Overall:

I am very particular when it comes to Thai cuisine as I always find myself comparing it to what I’ve eaten in Thailand or to my mum’s home cooking. Like many other Thai restaurants in Melbourne, the dishes at Red Mango Thai Restaurant have been tweaked to suit Western taste buds. So for me the food here was very average as was the service and the ambiance.

Note that this place only opens for dinner.

When I was in Chiang Mai, Thailand…

Influenced by neighbouring countries (particularly Myanmar/Burma), the food in Chiang Mai is truly distinct. Here is some of the food I sampled, including a few of Chiang Mai’s most popular dishes (eg. khao soi, sai ua, kalamae, kaeb moo, nam prik noom):

Khao soi (curry egg noodles)

Khanom jeen nam ngiaw (fermented rice vermicelli noodle soup)

Sai ua (grilled herb sausages), Kaeb moo (crispy pork rinds) and Nam prik noom (roasted green chilli dip)

Kalamae (sweet sticky candy made from palm sugar, rice flour and coconut milk , wrapped in palm leaves)

Massaman chicken curry

Prawn and mushroom Tom Yum soup

Roasted sesame seed cakes

Roti with condensed milk

When I was in Bangkok, Thailand…

Thailand is without a doubt my favourite holiday destination. Part of the reason is of course the food! There is an enormous variety of both Thai as well as non Thai food that is fresh, delicious and unbelievably CHEAP! Here is just some of what I ate: