Twelve Spices, Canley Heights

It’s been a while since I’ve been back to Twelves Spices, and there was a time when driving past that I was afraid they had closed for good. Happily, it reopened and looked quite snazzy to boot with its new makeover.

Turns out there was a management change and now it’s back to the original family who had first opened Twelve Spices. It also turns out that F is friends with the new (old) owners! Both Suchada and Jay are old snowboarding buddies of his and they inherited the restaurant from their parents. I thought that was kind of cool – I don’t think I know a lot of people who’s continued on in their family business (I know quite a few have helped the family business out, but not exactly taken over).

Determined to blog about the new Twelve Spices, I gently herded some friends and F towards the restaurant for a catch up dinner whilst mentally rubbing my hands together in glee. Though in hindsight, I think E was a lot more gleeful than I was – she rattled off dishes from the top of her head that she’s had here and wanted to eat again.

Overwhelmed by choice, it took us a while to figure out what to order and what to cut out; even when we were ordering, there were some indecision over the options of the dishes (“wait guys… chicken or prawns??”). In contrast to our length deliberation, the time it took our dishes to come out was super quick.

Twelve Spices' Fried Rice ($15.90)

The Twelve Spices’ fried rice was a hit with the table; F declared that he could easily polish it off in one sitting and between you and me, I think he was a bit disappointed to share the dish. The flavours were just more than your average fried rice – it was like… fried rice on a flavour high. Perhaps what gave the dish that elusive “oomph” was the sharp tang of lemongrass cutting through the heartiness of fried egg, king prawns and rice.

Tum Mak Hoong - Lao Papaya Salad ($8.80)

I know better than to eat a Lao Papaya Salad… call me chicken, but I know that salad could possibly be the hottest salad on earth besides Larb (which almost rendered my taste buds unconscious for a good while).

It must have been good because there were none left by the end of dinner! Hehe.

Goong Dip - Raw Prawn Salad ($14.90)

I’ve never had a raw prawn salad before and was intensely curious of what it would be like, and of course taste like. Such was my curiosity that I would not be deterred from the menu’s description of the dish to have a chilli and lime dressing (I know from experience that if Thais use the word “chilli” in it, it would be indubitably spicy despite ordering the mildest option).

The prawns were fresh and did not leave a fishy taste at all; texturally, it wasn’t gummy – firm but yielded easily to a bite. But, as it turns out, that was all I managed to taste before the chilli ran rampant and I had to reach for my glass of water with teary eyes. I eyed the salad glumly for the rest of the night, wanting to eat more but not willing to brave the burn.

Ox Tongue ($8.80)

This is one of the dishes that D, F and I have been hanging out for – we all adore this dish and had to order two (both of which ended up in front of the boys). D found it amusing that no matter how often we had to tetris-like move the dishes around, the ox tongue would always somehow end up in front of F. Funnily enough, there was always an ox tongue dish in front of D too… haha, but I wasn’t going to complain – it was in perfect reach for me.

The ox tongue was as awesome as I remembered: perfectly seasoned, succulent, firm but not chewy and just overall delicious. (Something I would never had thought I’d describe ox tongue 3 years ago prior to this blog!).

Choo Chee Curry with Chicken ($10.90)

Unsure with which curry to go with, Jay suggested the awesome Choo Chee curry. We chose chicken to go with it, as we already had a prawn dish, but Jay and Suchada hesitated at our choice. “You know, it tastes awesome with prawns – goes better with it. If it doesn’t taste awesome… it’s because there’s no prawns!” Suchada candidly warned.

I don’t think I’ve had Choo Chee curry before, but it won’t be my last (despite it being “mild”, it was quite spicy for me). Choo Chee curry is made with a spicy curry paste of galangal, kaffir lime, garlic, lemongrass and long red chillies (explains the spiciness, no?); it contains eggplant, capsicum and bamboo shoots. The creamy coconut milk and sharpness from the kaffir lime and lemongrass were well-balanced and while it was quite flavoursome with chicken, I think next time I’ll try it with prawns to see just how awesome it can be (so long as someone helps me to finish it! Haha).

Fruit Shakes ($4.50)

Maybe I’m biased, but I think Twelve Spices’ fruit shakes are just the bomb – they aren’t overly sweet nor overly icy. My jackfruit, lychee and watermelon fruit shake was a blessing in slaking the raging heat from the spicy mouthfuls I had consumed. I love the fact that there’s no limit to the combinations you can order, but your choices are dependent on what is in season of course.

Yum Pu Nim - Soft Shell Crab ($17.90)

I’ve come to realise that there’s a lot of ways to do soft shell crab and I particularly like Twelve Spices’ version, as it’s super crunchy and yet still retain soft and juicy crab meat. The batter was well-seasoned and flavourful without being too salty. F, to my surprise, isn’t a big fan of soft shell crab, but he really enjoyed this dish. The soft shell crab was served with a refreshing green apple and green mango salad that was topped with the round flavours of cashew nuts. Yum.

Nam Khao - Rice Ball Salad ($9.90)

As it turns out, with the dizzying array of dishes on the table, I must have mistook the rice ball salad for the fried rice and so I didn’t try any of it (yeah, I don’t know how I managed that)! F tells me that while the sour pork was scrumptious, it was a bit too zesty from the lemongrass for him. It bothers me that I missed out on trying this dish and now I must go back to Twelve Spices to try it… for completeness of course!

Crispy Chilli Basil Crocodile ($17.90)

Crocodile, we were warned, is a bit on the tough side; with delight, I actually found it to be just slightly firm, definitely not tough, and fried to perfection. It was crispy as stated, despite being drenched in sauce, and once again, the meat inside was juicy and plentiful. I found it to be one of my favourite dishes of the night, coming back for more scrumptious crunchy pieces of crocodile with the occasional munches on the deep fried basil; perfect with some sticky rice.

Tom-Kha ($11.90)

Tom Yum soup is a challenge for me to eat, as it is quite spicy, but Tom Kha (another dish recommended by Jay) is a soup I’ll gladly order again. The mild chicken coconut milk soup is flavoured with galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, which are lovely, tangy accompaniments to the coconut milk – cutting through its richness. I think my friends let me wallow in its mildness; they pursued spicier dishes while I happily finished most of the dish. Again, perfect with sticky rice.

Twelve Spices

Twelve Spices changes in management and menu, complete with refurbishment, is no doubt a change for the better. Suchada, Jay and their team serve up great and delicious dishes with a smile and an attentiveness that is not overbearing.

While I quite liked the old Twelve Spices, I love the new Twelve Spices (biasness aside). I’m glad it’s so close to home because I can’t wait to go back to make the hard decision of ordering something I love or trying something new. Heck, I most probably will be stopping by later today for some take away Thai goodness.

Twelve Spices
197 St Johns Road
Canley Heights, NSW, 2166
Ph: (02) 9609 6212

8 Comments

1. Hotly Spiced

   October 14, 2011

   

   That food looks fresh, fabulous and inviting. What an incredible array of dishes. Next time I’m in Canley Heights…

   Reply
2. Gaby

   October 14, 2011

   

   All dishes look great, much better presented than traditional Thai-Lao fare in the Western suburbs.

   Reply
3. Nic@diningwithastud

   October 14, 2011

   

   What a great meal! That crocodile looks delicious – you can def tell these guys are good by the fact that it wasnt tough

   Reply
4. Lil

   October 14, 2011

   

   Omgsh. This just looks like an amazing feast!

   Reply
5. Richard

   October 14, 2011

   

   Two thumbs here as well. Used to live diagonally across the road from them and would often drop in for a light feast .. Both Jay and the missus are great folks and it’s always great to catch up with them for a chat .. great food as well.

   I remember trying to drag Howie’s butt there to review it but I can’t remember what excuse he gave me at the time GW Squishies!

   Reply
6. sugarpuffi

   October 17, 2011

   

   the food looks awesome! do i see crab legs in the papaya salad?

   Reply
7. little egg

   October 18, 2011

   

   the food looks amazing! i must go there and try sometime

   can i ask what camera are u using?

   Reply
8. tresor paris

   October 20, 2011

   

   it looks delicious!I’m hungry

   Reply

Leave a Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

Comment

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.