3 Hippos, Canley Heights
12 July 2008
11 Comments
As an avid Thai food lover, I’m always on the look out for new joints offering authentic but not pretentious Thai/Lao food. Whilst driving down Canley Vale Rd, H and I noticed a new brightly lit restaurant packed with patrons waiting to be seated. Refusing to join the forlorn looking faces in the harsh cold night, deciding to return once the excitement of the new shop died down.
All through the week, H had massive cravings for pies and hot dogs at Harry’s Cafe de Wheels, which was satisfied on Friday night after work. On the drive home from Harry’s, we realised that the queue at the restaurant spotted a couple of weeks ago wasn’t that bad. Even after two pies and a hot dog, we quickly parked the car. Before we knew it, H and I were seated in a modern setting restaurant browsing through the menu.
Som Tom Lao (laos papaya salad)
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Som Tam Lao (Laos Papaya Salad) $8.00
Som Tam Lao is a salad made from pounding garlic, shrimp paste and chili into a fine paste, then slowly adding grated green papaya and tomato. The flavour is then finalised by incorporating fish sauce, brined little crabs, lime and sugar. For this occasion, we asked that our salad be served mild on the chili meter. The chef skilfully combined the right quantity of sweet/sour/hot/salt to produce a mouth numbing number
Complimentary Cabbage, Lettuce and Mint plate
The crunch and sweetness of the lettuce and cabbage is used to neutralise the burning sensation from the papaya salad.
Pek Kai Tod (Fried marinated chicken wings) $6.00
Fried chicken wings are one of my vice, if it’s in the menu, it’ll be on our table. Unfortunately this time the chicken wing was fried for too long, therefore drying up the flesh. The inclusion of the saccharine dipping sauce did nothing to ease the unsatisfactory dish.
Despite the great service and generous portion, 3 Hippos is one restaurant I’ll have second thoughts about revisiting in the near future considering the many Thai restaurants offered throughout inner western Sydney.
3 Hippos Thai/Lao Restaurant
3/219 Canley Vale Road
Canley Heights, NSW 2166
Ph: (02) 9755 4688
Tagged with: Canley Heights, poultry, salad, vegetables
I think you need to try a bit more than the som tum and chicken wings before you dismiss this place la. the quail was rather nice as was the rice ball salad.
I agree with having to try more food than just the two dishes, I’ll porbably go back to try the quail and rice ball salad as suggested =D
Took my sis & family who were visting from the US for a meal one evening. We were bitterly disappointed with every dish except the Laos sausage. Even the papaya salad ( one of my fav dishes ) did nothing for me. Not sure what the fuss is about this place as it was nothing to going for my taste buds.
Also wanted to mention the service was way too slow. Probably as we arrived 8.30pm all the staff was bordering calling it a nite !!!
Anne P : Agreed with you there, we felt the same. Since then we have re-visited and I felt that their salads lack flavour especially lacking the ‘kick’ you would expect.
We tend to goto Selina’s in Fairfield or a place on the other side of Cabramatta Train station near Iron Chef Chinese restaurant for our Thai fix! I can’t remember the name, I’ll post it when I drive past.
Thanks Howard, glad someone thinks the same as me
Yes please do let me know if you come across any nice Laos restaurants.
To me if a Laos rest can’t make tom som then what are the chances of the other stuff being good ?/
Anne : We’ve actually blogged about the other Lao/Thai place I was referring to! It’s called Phoungen
http://www.eatshowandtell.com/2008/08/27/phounguen-cabramatta/
[...] salads are amazing, watch the chilli though. In Canley Heights, give 12 Spices a try first and then Three Hippo’s. The food at Three Hippo’s is more like what you will find in the City, Surry Hills and [...]
I think 3 Hippos is the best thai/laos place in the south west. Having been everywhere and encountering hygene issues with cockoraches running around and hiding in the sticky rice, 3 Hippos is the cleanest by far.
They also own 12 Spices on St Johns park rd. Bit on the pricey side, average for 2 adults and a 3 yr old is $65. Avocado shake is great, heaps of condensed milk!!The dry beef is NOT pungent like most places, sausage is good, duck eggs are ok, paw paw salad is good there is no pungent odour. I’ll be havn em for dinner today!!
This is the best Thai Restaurant. I love 3 hippos laksa. I always ask for extra veggies and tofu. The owner is very friendly. Keep it up!
My favorite restaurant
this is definitely a recommended thai/lao restaurant. the food there is authentic and YUMMY! i love their fruit shakes too, they are to die for!! the staff were super attentive and gave me everything i asked for even though i was really annoying… haha! i've been here numerous times and its definitely one of my faves in the area. the decor is very simple, not too cluttered but clean which is important. food portions are very generous too. i'll be back this week!