Thai cuisine

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/

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: