We’ve been meaning to get together for a feed here for a while now, I’m still adamant that Lao Village is ‘better’. But after eating at Star Laos, it’s clear that both restaurants are different and have are excellent in their own little way.

Green curry, tom yum soup, bbq duck

I arrive late and the boys have already ordered and the first dish comes out even before I sit down. I should arrive late more often!(...)
Read the rest of Star Lao Thai Restaurant, Fairfield (532 words)

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It’s a hectic journey from Malaysia to Thailand, a 5 hour drive from Penang to Kuala Lumpur before running off to the Airport to make it in time for our flight. It’s our last day with Brian, who has decided to head up to the northern border of Malaysia and is staying in the country to meet up with family, and a reunion with The Pom who has been exploring the Philippines and is eager to show off his naughty purchases. It’s a late flight into Thailand, and by the time we check into our rooms we simply collapse after a long day of commuting.

(...)
Read the rest of Malaysia Mondays, Phuket, Thailand (1,970 words)

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Post tags: malaysia mondays

We dined here the night before she was to leave for her Malaysia trip with Helen, Billy and Simon and embarrassingly I am only blogging about it now because I didn’t know the name of this restaurant. I thought calling it “That-Thai-Place-Next-To-Sukjai-Thai is a bit mean and not very helpful.

Mind you, I did try to Google for it and looked on Eatability, but got nowhere. I even tried to Google its address. I really did try!! Ironically enough, searching for it now with its name brings up quite a few Google hits with its address too! Bah, why didn’t it find that in the first place!?

But I digress…

Kiew Tod Khai - Deep Fried Wonton filled with Quail Egg served in Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce ($5)

As soon as Minh saw “quail egg” with “wonton” in the same sentence on the menu, she pounced on dish. I was intrigued to see how it would turn out and shouldn’t have been too surprised to see exactly that: deep fried wonton skin wrapped around a whole, boiled quail egg.(...)
Read the rest of Thanon Khao San, Haymarket (371 words)

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Post tags: Seafood

Walking towards Sukjai, I realise it’s not alone, the shop next door (previous home to the now defunct I-San) is also a newly opened Thai restaurant complete with Tuk Tuk in the doorway. Torn I let my blogger instincts guide me and choose Sukjai for its better lighting and funky paintings. We’ve come pretty early in the night and are led straight to an empty table, looking around I’m immediately charmed by the mismatched chairs, crazy artwork and yes, the Airplane painted on the opposite wall.

Sukjai Interior

(...)
Read the rest of Sukjai Thai, Haymarket (781 words)

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There’s a distinctly Asian vibe to the Neutral Bay scene, more often than not I’ll find myself at yet another Thai or Japanese restaurant for dinner. As friend P actually works in the area I decided to let her decide and we ended up wandering inside Papaya Thai, a rather lush looking Thai restaurant.

Dripping Chandeliers inside Papaya Thai

The decor of the restaurant was a rather dark velvet look, with wooden tables, hidden alcoves with couches and chandeliers dripping from the ceiling. As the night was early the restaurant was relatively empty and we were quickly seated and handed a set of menus. When eating with P I somehow always manage to over order, and the spread we eventually ended up with could have easily fed another person, between the pair of us we ended up with an appetiser, a soup, a salad, a curry and a stir fry! Never say that I do things in moderation…

Tom Yum Koong - $7.90

Despite the weather (or should I because of the weather?) we ordered a starter of Tom Yum soup. I think it’s a very Asian attitude that you should eat hot food to combat hot weather, the sweating is somehow supposed to be beneficial. Or maybe, I just really like eating soup. The chilli sour kick of the soup is the perfect way to kick off the meal and I adore that there are whole cherry tomatoes in the soup, giving us a burst of tomato goodness.

Po Piah Koong Ped Tod - Parcel of golden crispy pastry filled with chopped prawns and roasted duck, served with plum sauce - $6.90

Our appetiser is described as a parcel of golden crispy pastry and I’m expecting a Wonton and am a little surprised when what looks like cheese sticks arrive at the table. They’re a great starter with a wonderful crunch with little to no oil residue left on our fingers, the accompanying Plum sauce is actually clear and has a texture and taste much more similar to Honey than the plum sauce I’m used to with chinese cooking. I enjoy the dish but can’t help but wish for a little bit more filling to compliment the pastry.

Som Tum - Shredded Green Papaya tossed with dried shrimps, cherry tomatoes. Pounded in mortar served with sticky rice - $16.90

There’s no way that we could go to a Thai restaurant called ‘Papaya Thai’ without ordering a version of its namesake. The Som Tum salad comes with a choice of meats, and knowing that we have chosen a Chicken Curry I opt for Beef as P is sadly allergic to Crab. The salad comes out with each of the components separated on the plate, although when I see the cabbage leaf holding the salad I just think that George from Masterchef would have removed the offending vegetable immediately. The salad comes with a serving of sticky rice and I’m gleefully eating mouthfuls of the glutinous rice with the tart sour Papaya. The serving size is generous and I could easily see eating the salad as a main.

Kaeng Kari Kai - Whole chicken leg coasted with tumeric curry then slow cooked with whole onions and baby potatoes, served with cucumber dipping sauce

Shocking at this point we’re already struggling to continue, a theory someone told me about sticky rice was that it continues to expand in your stomach making you even fuller… Whatever the case we were in more than a little despair when our mains come out, but I’m immediately taken by the simple plating of the Curry. The entire leg is clearly visible in the bowl and I’m more than a little curious by the whole bulb of garlic sitting in the dipping sauce.

The chicken simply falls apart when we stab with our forks and I’m rather enamoured of the rich coconutty tumeric base. My stomach protests but I can’t stop myself from eating mouthful after mouthful! On the menu the dipping sauce is simply listed as ‘Cucumber dipping sauce’ but comes out as a clear honey-like syrup, and when poured over the chicken it helps brings out the natural sweetness of the meat and coconut milk without being cloying.

Sweet Coconut Milk Chilli Basil Sauce Stir Fry with Prawns - $15.90

The stir fry comes out soon after the curry and at this point we are in literal pain but persevere! On the menu the stir fry list consists of 8 different choice of sauces with our choice of meat, we decide on the Sweet Coconut Milk base simply as I’m curious as to how the sweet would work in a stir fry. In hindsight knowing that we’d ordered a Coconut based curry we would have been better off with a Peppery base to cut through all the fat. The stir fry is probably the biggest disappointment as the various vegetables simply seemed drowned in the sauce and the crispy (almost burnt in some cases) basil leaves aren’t as appealing as you would think.

Papaya Thai Table Settings

We’ve decided against dessert knowing that we’re headed towards Manly and it’s all for the best as we roll ourselves out of the doorways! It’s about 7:30pm at this point and the restaurant is getting busy with waitresses rushing about. Despite this the service was quick and efficient and our glasses of water barely reached the halfway mark before being topped up by our ever vigilant wait staff.  As a restaurant Papaya Thai is definitely within the ‘Trendy Restaurant’ genre oh so common to this area, but it’s backed with some good dishes and quick service.

The weather has thankfully cooled down at this point but it hasn’t kept the punters away from the Ben & Jerry’s launch, the lure of free ice-cream too strong for anyone to ignore. I’m not sure what the line must have been like in the middle of the day but the line is well organised, going across the street to the next block! The line is kept entertained by staff members popping by the line passing out wrist bands, pens and ice-cream menus and we find ourselves inside within 10 minutes.

Ben & Jerry's ice-cream choices

I’m rather torn as to the choice in flavours and settle on ‘Chunky Monkey’ having a strange affinity to Banana Ice-cream, P is set on the ‘Peanut Butter Cookie Dough’ but changes her mind at the last moment and ends up with the ‘Chocolate Fudge Brownie’. I have a strange liking for the Black & White cow pattern and find myself lusting for one of the bags that the staff members are carrying… I’ll just have content myself with the ice-cream. The entire shop is done out in a Cow-like theme with my favourite touch being the Milk Bottle lights!

We settle at the beach with our conquests and proceed to tuck in. I’ve known about Ben & Jerry’s for years but never tried it before, the Chunky Monkey has a definite banana flavour to it although after a few bites I find myself wishing that the flavour was a bit more distinctive. It does however live up to its name with a more than generous ratio of Walnut and Fudge chunks to ice-cream! P has the ‘Chocolate Fudge Brownie’ which is decadently rich and I adore the swirls of Fudge Brownie.

Remains of the day

I’ll be honest though, Ididn’treallylikeit! While I have nothing against the actual flavour of the ice-cream, I prefer my ice-cream, chunkless. Towards the end of my serving I found myself pushing aside the rather large chunks in search of more of the elusive banana ice-cream. To the ice-cream fans out there who adore making sundaes drowning in toppings, this is definitely the ice-cream for you.

All in all, not a bad way to spend a Saturday at all.

The Ben & Jerry’s Free Ice-cream offer was an opening day special and available only on Saturday, 28th of November 2009.

Papaya Thai
Shop 6-9, 307-309 Military Road
Cremorne, NSW 2090
Ph: (02) 9953 8992
Web: http://www.papayathai.com.au/

Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop
Shops 5 & 6, 25-27 South Steyne
Manly, NSW 2100
Ph: (02) 8966 9219
Web: http://www.benandjerry.com.au/

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When I saw Holy Basil open on Canley Vale Road, I wasn’t sure how well it would do. Here we have a fully decked out restaurant which wouldn’t look out-of-place on Crown St in Surry Hills. The decor is modern and moody with wood furnishings,warm lighting, shiny statues and an open kitchen. They even serve Toby’s Estate coffee which is unheard of in this neck of the woods. With such an authentic variety of Thai and Lao food in Fairfield,You’ve got to give them credit for having a crack at trying something different.

This evening I am dining with six good friends of mine, who’ve been around the traps in terms of trying Sydney food. Overall, we ordered just the right amount for six people and the bill came to about $30 per person with a drink each. It’s definitely on the more expensive side for the area, but you’d be hard pressed to find contemporary Thai anywhere else in the Fairfield/Liverpool/Cabramatta area.

Chicken feet salad - Yum Lab Meau Nan ($9.90)

(...)
Read the rest of Holy Basil, Canley Heights (949 words)

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Update : I-San is now closed and has been replaced by Thanon Khao San

Where is a group of hungry food bloggers to go on a Monday night at 9pm? While I love Sydney, it frustrates me how the city seems to shut down on weeknights leaving you wandering the streets in search of a feed. This is the situation we found ourselves in on a recent Monday night.

With the cold weather sending us all to chills we decided to go to Chat Thai, a city favourite for Thai. Unfortunately the restaurant was true to form and packed out! I guess we weren't the only ones with the same idea. Our patience and tolerance for cold only runs so far and we soon found ourselves headed for I-San, situated just around the corner.

The decor is oddly charming with its Fuschia walls and and widescreen TV Ton the wall playing Thai karaoke. Unlike Chat Thai we are seated immediately and only spot one other group in the restaurant, undeterred we ponder the menu and in the end leave it up to Billy and Helen to decide on our dishes for the night. Suze has picked up a can of Solo which will prove to be a wise decision considering our immediate future.

Sticky Rice, $3 per serving

I am amused to see that I-San seems to share the same wholesaler as Laos Village, serving up their sticky rice servings in these cute bamboo containers. Is this a Thai or Laos custom that I’ve never seen before? In either case the sticky rice is a hit with the table and seems to hit the spot more satisfying than normal Jasmine rice would. By the time we leave all of these little containers are empty.

Som Tom (Laos), Fresh green papaya salad in LAOS style $8.00

It seems a sad fact of life that while I adore the flavour of Papaya salad, my tolerance for heat remains… pathetic at best. The Papaya is wonderfully crunchy before heat and fire overtake my mouth and I find myself groping wildly for my tea all the while warning the girls around me. Karen decides to try it for herself despite admitting to an equally terrible tolerance to Chilli and moments later is doing the same dance. Suze takes the high road and wisely avoids the salad. In the end we abandon our salad to the other side of the table where it is quickly devoured.

Pad See Eew, Fried noodle with soy sauce with beef $9.50

The Pad See Eew is a hit with our end of the table, with a serving that definitely is not skimping on the meat! The noodles are slipperly and wide and go down a treat, I somehow manage to stop myself from devouring half the plate.

Khao pad pla muek, Thai fried rice with calamari and egg $13.50

The Khao pad pla muek is probably the favourite of the table as by the end of the meal we’ve ordered up 3 servings of it. The calamari is fat and plump, combined with the rich flavour of the the soy flavoured rice & egg means all of the plates are soon scraped clean.

Sai Krog, Lovely sausage "Thai I-San" style $8.00

I can’t quite pick the flavour of the Sai Krog and in the end I think the best description is that it was like the bastard child of a Chorizo and the Vietnamese Nem Nuong. That is to say, totally awesome. I can’t help but wonder why its served up with whole garlic and in the end can’t resist trying the sausage with a chunk of garlic. Surprisingly, it works really well and I’m not overwhelmed with a garlicky taste. Sadly I cannot say the same about my breath afterwards.

Jungle Curry, Spicy beef with vegetables, green peppers country style without coconut milk $11.50

The Jungle Curry was a little different to others I’ve had in the past, while still lovely and fragrant I was a bit surprised at the colour of the soup as I’ve always had Jungle Curry served in an almost clear broth. Perhaps this was because of the beef? The green beans are a welcome munch in the sea of beef.

Sai Uar

With our 3rd helping of Thai Fried Rice this unknown sausage comes out… After my experience with the salad I am wary of the sausage but venture in. My mistake! Despite a relatively deceivingly mild first bite, as the flavour spreads so does the chilli. Billy simply watches us bemused at our pain. He probably grew up eating this stuff as a baby! Edit: Thanks to Ja for naming our mystery dish!

As we leave the other group in the restaurant leaves at the same time, as if to prove that Sydney really is a small town the group turns out to be the group of thai boys who work at Wok Station, my regular lunch haunt just down the street from my Office! In the end I have no reservations recommending I-San. Our final bill is a paltry $15 each and I walk out with my firey garlic breath satisfied that this is one restaurant that hasn’t toned down its flavours to suit the western tounge.

I-San City Thai Restaurant
413 Pitt Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 9211 4150

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What’s up with Thai restaurants and funny names ? Thai-riffic, Thai-na-town, Thai-tanic and the list goes on. It seems there is an infatuation with this naming convention and it’s almost weird seeing a Thai restaurant with a normal name such as Lao Village. But of course, Lao Village is Lao and not Thai. Yet you often find the food can be quite similar, a bit like Middle eastern food.

'Local' feel in this restaurant

Coconut juice

I’ve been to Lao Village a lot in recent years. It’s a testament to how good it really is if it’s still operating after 15 years. Not much has changed, the food is traditional, it’s cheap and it has the ‘local’ feel to it. You won’t see this place with Ikea furnishings or scented candles that’s for sure. But that’s the beauty of this restaurant and it’s appeal to the Lao and Thai locals of Fairfield and it’s surrounding suburbs such as Cabramatta. You know the food will taste awesome, your more than likely to see a few familiar faces dining there, yet if it was your first time there you wouldn’t feel intimated either.

Complimentary salad

Finding this place is easy for the regular, but it’s actually behind the renovated Fairfield RSL which looks like the Las Vegas of the West. Lao Village is hidden behind a dodgy looking door with a fly screen, but once you walk in to the packed restaurant (on a Saturday night) you know your in the right place.

bbq marinated ox tongue ($7.50)

Grilled ox tongue is one of my favourite thai and lao dishes regardless of which restaurant it is. It is grilled until brown and crispy yet it retains it’s softness inside. There is a slight unique taste, it’s hard to explain in words. You know your not eating ‘meat’ but in fact another organ. First timers should not think about and just eat it because it tastes delicious.

Fried quails ($12)

For $12, we get an extremely generous serving of crispy fried and tender quail. It’s a refreshing scene as these are often dry and tough in a lot Chinese restaurants as they are usually served as part of a discount banquet. The salt and pepper with lemon juice dip gives it a little bit of kick.

Fried rice with seafood ($8.50)

Lao and Thai style fried rice is a bit different to normal fried rice. The usual ingredients are there but it is usually served flat on a plate with the top part crunchy.

Fried noodle with seafood ($8.50)

The thick pieces of rice noodles are a favourite due to the copious amounts of seafood. It isn’t outstanding, as you can only do so much with fried noodles.

paw paw salad thai style ($7.50)

There are two types of paw paw salads. we opt for the Thai as opposed to the Lao. The main difference is that the Lao version is prepared with brined crabs whereas the Thai use more of a fish sauce and shrimp paste base for it’s flavour, that’s from what I can gather anyway from various trips to Thai and Lao restaurants.

The salad is fresh and pungent, with a tasty variety of flavours and textures. You have the paw paw and tomato providing the base elements of a salad, the fish sauce and shrimp paste providing flavour and saltiness and the peanuts and dried shrimp introducing a bit of crunch and texture.

chicken feet salad ($7.50)

The chicken feet salad was gobbled up in no time. Sadly, I can’t find much about it on Google. It’s base ingredients are chicken feet and onion with a spicy sauce. Once again, it’s the contrasting textures of ingredients that win me over.

Sticky rice $2.50

I always go for the sticky rice as it’s perfect for absorbing all the sauces from the various salads. A $2.50 is enough for 1 person, or 1 between 2 if ordering fried rice and noodles.

Lao Village is one of the best bang for buck restaurants you will find. Each dish is enough to be shared between 2 people. The food is traditional, cheap and delicious. They keep the menu small but do it very well. You’ll see families of all walks of life there, young couples, groups of Thai and Lao teens going for a feed as well. If you ever get sick of the modern varieties of Thai food, you should try the Thai and Lao restaurants out in the Suburbs for something a little different. The flavours are less bold, but at least it gives you an indication on what you would get if you visited Lao.

Lao Village

1-3 Anzac Avenue
Fairfield NSW 2165
Opposite Fairfield RSL
Phone (02) 9728 7136

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Anyone else find it hard to find a location which has a decent bar for pre-drinks but also a decent restaurant close by ? When organising a Friday night out, we often have to compromise either the bar or the restaurant as some places are just too far away from each other in the City. Anyway this problem has partially been solved if your in the Darlinghurst area as Rambutan seems to be able to hit two birds with one stone with a funky and modern cocktail bar downstairs coupled with unique modern Thai food. 

(...)
Read the rest of Rambutan, Darlinghurst (1,020 words)

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There were only a handful of Chinese restaurants (that I saw anyway) about 5 years ago, which was the last time I was in Berlin. Now it would seem that Asian restaurants have become more prominent – and not just Chinese or Vietnamese restaurants, there’s also Korean, Japanese, and Thai.

Sida’s restaurant front looked more like a store than a restaurant (and perhaps previously it was one) with its display windows filled with authentic looking Thai dolls and decorations. To be honest, I thought it was one of those specialised country travel agencies.

Walking into the restaurant, I found myself a bit googly-eyed at the decorations – there were quite a bit – and right at the back of the restaurant was a mini pagoda?! That definitely made me dumbstruck for a few moments, especially when I noticed little statues in various Thai dance poses. I found myself rather fancying the murals though – not one wall was the same.

It took us a while to order as I was still rather dazed at the decor – wondering how best to capture it on the camera (and failing judging from the lack of decor photos) – and my brother never had Thai before, which I found it rather difficult to believe (but he’s mainly at home in front of the computer, so I guess I shouldn’t have been too shocked). A few minutes after ordering, the waitress placed a strange object on the table.

The said strange object

I realised that it was a heating tray to keep food warm (let me know if I’m wrong). Interesting! I didn’t think the restaurant room temperature was that cold to warrant one, but I thought it was rather neat and stared at the flickering tea candles inside (why are they always so strangely compelling to stare at?).

Asia Cocktail - Green tea with lychee and mango (2,15€ per pot)

No long after, our beverages arrived, with it my “Asia Cocktail” tea. The lychee was very faint, but the mango flavour did linger on the tongue. Overall, it was a bit sweet though it wasn’t too cloying to make me feel sugared-out by the end.

Large Prawns in Wonton Skin with Spicy Sauce (5,90 €)

I very nicely asked my brother for a piece – purely for EST review purpose of course – but he wouldn’t let me have any and I watched the prawns disappear though the vegetables were left untouched. He gave the dish a 4 out of 5 stars, citing that the spicy sauce wasn’t spicy at all.

Pad Sieu - Chicken (8,45 €)

There’s something about Pad Sieu (besides its numerous variations of spelling) that I can’t help but be obsessed about; it is only with great effort (i.e. being bullied by the company I have at dinner/lunch) that I would choose something else. This time I felt fairly justified in choosing this dish, as I wanted to know how the Germans stacked up against my favourite (but dirty) Thai place in Glebe.

It was pretty decent actually – I’ve had worse from some Sydney places. There wasn’t too much sauce or egg and there was a good amount of vegetables (some places I know would overload it with vegetables and then throw in cabbage for some bizarre reason, making it taste a bit funny – but I digress).

Pad Thai - Chicken (8,45 €)

I chose this dish for my never-had-Thai-before-honest brother, as I thought it would be a good introduction to Thai food: it’s similar to some Vietnamese dishes, so it wouldn’t be too strange or out there for him to eat. I personally don’t know what the fuss is about Pad Thai, I find most places make them too sweet to my liking, but anywho my brother said it was “okay”, though he did give out another 4 out of 5 stars.

I am beginning to wonder what his scale is based on.

Laab - Salad with minced duck (12,50 €)

My cousin and his friend ordered this dish and the menu states that it’s a North Thailand dish. Never having seen it before, let alone taste it, I was given a spoonful to try. Oh my goodness, it burnt my taste buds off – it was that hot. Sadly, because it was so hot, I didn’t know what it tasted like.

Yen Ta Foo - Rice noodles with fried Wontons, baked large prawns, fish balls, squid, Thai water spinach (12,00 €)

My cousin’s friend had this dish and she added garlic chilli oil, chilli flakes, and chilli sauce right after I finished taking the photo. She didn’t like the fried tofu and thought the dish was so-so (though I don’t know what she could have tasted under all that chilli stuff on top of being sick).

Gaeng Pet - Red Curry with crispy duck, pineapple, lychee, and battered basil (11,20 €)

The duck was wonderfully crispy with a perfect layer of fat; it was also kind of spicy so I could only manage one piece of it (I know, I’m pretty chilli retarded… I’m sorry). I did try the sauce: pushing past the burn factor, the curry was quite sweet (which I attributed to the lychee and pineapple) and light – quite yum actually.

Gaeng Pet - Red Curry with Tofu, vegetables, and coconut milk (8,65 €)

My cousin’s other friend (who wasn’t sick) had this dish and she reported that it was okay – the coconut milk, which she isn’t too fond of usually, got a bit much near the end though and so she couldn’t really finish as much as she wanted.

Complimentary Non-Alcoholic Pina Colada Cocktail

We asked for the bill and we got this non-alcoholic Pina Colada instead… and then the bill a couple of moments later. Although I wonder why they would give complimentary drinks afterwards, I downed it anyway without a question; lip-smackingly tasty.

Thai-Restaurant Sida had excellent service and the price was pretty decent for the location. Don’t forget to grab a (free) cherry lollipop in a massive fish bowl on the way out!

Thai-Restaurant Sida
Ahornstr. 32,
Berlin Steglitz,
Berlin, 12163
Germany
Ph: (030) 7923670

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Post tags: poultry, Seafood, vegetarian

Now that I’ve dispelled some misconceptions about Cabramatta, let’s talk about food.

With a weird craving for Thai/Lao food smack bang in the middle of winter, mum gathered up the troops and ordered that we meet at one our favourite food joint. Phounguen is a very basic restaurant which if you walked past, wouldn’t even know it existed. Located on the “ghetto” side of Cabramatta, opposite the railway station, it is frequented by locals, looking for great food at bargain prices.

Pad Thai $8.00

We started of the meal with a Pad Thai dish. This has always been a favourite thai dish of mine, cemented more so after my two previous trips to Thailand. Phounguen has been serving Cabramatta locals for almost 30 years, so I assume that they actually know what they’re doing. Unlike other Pad Thais I’ve had in Sydney, Phounguen’s noodle is consistently al dente, with the each starnds separated ensuring maximum exposure to the delicious sauce coating it. It also helps that they’re not stingy with the seafood.

Thai Chicken Fried Rice $8.00

Next up was the fried rice. At Phonguen, this is a personal favourite of mine. The fluffy rice is fried with carrots, peas, onion, eggs and pieces of chicken, flavoured with a wonderful concoction of their soy sauces. However, that is not the best bit. Prior to serving the dish, the fried rice is placed in a shallow frying pan until the base layer is slightly brown and crunchy.

Lao Som Tum

At Phonguen, you have the option of either choosing the Thai or Lao Papaya salad. The differentiating factor in my opinion between the two are: Lao uses brined crabs, shrimp and crab paste, whereas the Thai does not. We like our food strong and smelly, so we opted for the Lao.

Complimentary Greens

Marinated Fried Quails $14.00 (3 birds)

The owner Phonguen recommended we try this dish, as it is their specialty. One bite into the tender, juicy and sweet piece of quail, you would definitely understand why. The quail is thoroughly marinated in some secret herbs and spices which I dare say rivals the Colonel Sander’s, then lightly fried. Dipped in the lemon/salt/pepper sauce, the sweetness of the quail is accentuated. So satisfied with the dish, that we ordered one to take away.

Salt, Pepper and Lemon dipping sauce for quails

Grilled Ox Tongue

I have never been a fan of offal, whereas my mum is the total opposite. As a member of the old school chinese generation, she appreciates all meats regardless of where it came from. In my mum’s opinion, this is probably one of the best grilled ox tongue that she has had. According to mum, the ox tongue was not too chewy or too soft, it was grilled to a consistency which still retains its juices. The tongue was accompanied by a sweet chilli dipping sauce.

Satisfied with our bargain of a feast, we venture out into the night in search for some chocolate =D

To me, Cabramatta should not only be known for all the negativity as portrayed in the media but also be recognised as a multicultural community enriched with cuisines such as: Vietnamese, Thai, Lao, Chinese, Macedonian, Japanese and Cambodian, the South East Asia of Sydney.

Phounguen
148 Cabramatta Road
Cabramatta, NSW 2166

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Post tags: Cabramatta, poultry, Seafood

It’s not your regular thai up-town restaurant. Here at Thainatown, it’s all about speed and taste! The food is in front of you within 5-10 minutes of ordering AND the dishes all taste a little better than most other thai places.

If you’re not a huge fan of spicy food, I would recommend you ask about the spicy-ness of your dish before ordering… as I’ve never had a chilli-tasting pad thai before yet it is because of this that makes the pad thai extremely flavoursome and sets itself apart from other thai restaurants.

Vegetarian Pad Thai
The chilli flavour of the pad thai is quite intense. It is a little more “saucier” than other pad thai’s that I’ve had, which is why it makes this dish easy to indulge! mmmm!

Vegetarian Pad See Ew
The pad see ew was also quite saucy. The flat rice noodle was cooked to perfection: soft and chewy.

I’ve probably been here over 20 times and the pad thai never fails me each and every time I order it. =) Can’t wait for the next time I return!

Thainatown is located on Goulburn St, Haymarket just a few doors up from Mandarin Club.

Thainatown
Shop 48, 91 Goulburn St
Haymarket NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 9211 0090

Opening hours: 11am to 10pm

© teresa for eatshowandtell, 2008. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: City, Thai, Thainatown

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)

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

© Linda for eatshowandtell, 2008. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Canley Heights, poultry, salad, vegetables

We spot an empty restaurant at some dodgy corner, succumbing to the idea that a deserted restaurant serves less than ideal food, then finally trudge to Bangkok Thai Cuisine, which is admittedly the busiest food stall located inside the hustle and bustle of BKK shopping Centre.

We quickly take our spot in the queue then eye the extensive pictured menu displayed above our head. This time since I wasn’t as hungry as usual, we decided to share a dish.

Shrimp Paste Fried Rice $9.00

After waiting patiently at our communal table for about 20 minutes, a nearby diner nudged us and indicated to the waving restaurant owner, who handed us our dish. To be honest, we’ve had this dish countless of times and fortunately the quality and taste has always maintained its standard. The rice fried with a good quantity of salty shrimp paste which ensures that the flavour doesn’t overwhelm the dish, combined with the grilled chinese sausage, sweet char siu pork, pan fried prawns and omelette proves to be a burst of flavour in your mouth with each bite. To cool down the palate, the chef kindly adds crispy and sweet spanish onion, cucumber and slices of green mango.

Addictive spicy Satay to go with the fried rice

Bangkok Thai Cuisine

Shop 4b/ 53 Park Rd
Cabramatta 2166 NSW
(02) 9727 6891

© Linda for eatshowandtell, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
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Green Duck Curry

Sadly, my inability to take spicy food kept me away from this dish, but from what (little) I had it was quite nice (though it was still awfully spicy).

Seafood Pad Thai

It was your typical, round-of-the-mill pad thai. It was rather different to have it with seafood (I’ve only have had chicken) and I think I like it better! It wasn’t too sweet nor was it bland. Almost just right; something was missing, but I wasn’t too sure what it was. Then again, I’m more of a pad see ew person so that may have worked against me.

Chilli Basil Chicken

Quite delicious, but also quite spicy after consuming quite a bit. I had to regulate my intake of this dish, sadly enough. (Yes, I need to work on my chilli tolerance)

Mild Paw Paw Salad

I’m always amused by the different standards of “mild”; obviously it differs between person to person and so dish to dish. One of my friends is my chilli barometer (she has a slightly better tolerance to spicy stuff than me) and after taking a bite of the salad she gave me the Look, which I took to be “daaaaang, my tongue is on fire” and so sensibly avoided the dish.

Deep Fried Ice Cream with Caramel Topping

I didn’t have this dessert, but those who did seemed quite pleased with their choice. (Not a big fan of deep fried ice cream, I always feel like I’m going to have a heart attack when I eat one)

Sticky Rice with Mango and Vanilla Ice Cream

I love this dessert. It’s such a juxtaposition between warm and cold, sweet and almost savoury. Some of my friends didn’t quite like it as it was too odd, but I think it’s something that definitely should be tried, if not loved.

I normally eat at 12 Spices with a friend outside “peak hour” times (e.g. 9pm on a Saturday night). This time I had about 6 people and on a very busy Friday night. It’s this mad rush to try to accommodate so many hungry and demanding people that service wasn’t as attentive as I had come to expect. The food, though, was still quick in being served.

A few things happened that kind of made us go “hmmm”.

Our Chilli Basil Chicken was somehow mixed up with Chilli Basil Beef and had to sent back (one of us is Indian).

We saw one very annoyed and disgruntled customer walk up to one of the waitresses and complained about his fried ice cream: it was cracked opened and all of the ice cream had melted. She apologised and tried to appease him by offering a replacement, but he just shook his head in disgust and told her not to bother before walking out.

We also had the unpleasant experience of finding a tiny dead cockroach floating in our water jug after we had poured out water into everyone’s cup and was drinking it. This was quickly rectified, but it was still kinda gross. No one got sick though, which was fortunate.

Although the overall experience during their busy period was marred by these mishaps, the food we had were above average and it is quite good value for money – reasons enough for me to come back to 12 Spices really.

12 Spices
197 St Johns Rd,
Canley Heights, NSW
Ph: 02 9609 1465

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2008. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Canley Heights, curry, poultry, Seafood