Bites: Pertica Siam @ Rivervale

Thai flavors are no stranger to my tongue and I simply love the flavors of Thai cuisine.  Their food is usually a fusion of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy.  To me, it has all the great flavors that tingle one’s taste buds in a pleasurable manner.  A new Thai restaurant has opened in town and I was excited to find out that it was opened by my colleague’s friends.  Booking was no problem as we knew the owners.  Rocking up at 6.30pm, the place is actually quite small so be prepared to squeeze a little!

 

Food on the menu is unmistakably Thai.  But are the flavors authentic?  I guess this might not be the right question as the owners are Thai.  So perhaps, it broils down to; can they cook?  Our first appetizer today is the boxing chicken.Fried chicken.  Who can say no to one?  Vegetarians are an exception hehe.  These crispy delights are moreish and we enjoyed every bit of it.  The marinade felt more Chinese as it was just simple salt, and pepper.  Coming from the Thai’s maybe I was expecting a Pandan Chicken where the lovely marinade of spices makes dipping sauces totally redundant. Other than that the chicken felt a little rare as it was cooked just right. A slight bloodiness sipped from the bone as it was not cooked through.

 

The crispy tofu in tamarind sauce.I was not quite sure what to expect when we ordered this.  It felt very plain.  The sauce had the good mix of flavors from sugar, fish sauce and vinegar but the tofu was bland.  It felt rather normal this one.

 

Then came the tom yam.The version at Pertica was whitish and not red in color.   I suspect that they did not use a Thai shrimp paste that gives the soup a beautiful shrimp flavor with some sweetness.  But do not be fooled.  The soup was bloody spicy as my friend asked for “hot”.  Definitely worth ordering.  To me, the seafood in there felt pretty fresh as the squid did not stink like the ones I normally get in S&T where the mussels and squid are absolutely horrible. 

 

For our mains we called a few dishes to share:The Beef Massaman would be one of the best ones I have tasted.  It was just sublime.  The sauce as far as I was concerned was aromatic and rich.  Something that is complemented with plain steamed rice.  It was that good.  The potatoes were delicious too as it was soft but still firm enough to hold its shape.  But that is where it stops.  The beef chunks were ridiculously chewy.  It felt like the cut of meat used was not right or it just was not cook long enough!  Definitely a bummer here!

 

Other than this, we also ordered the duck curry which was another fabulously presented dish.  I think that one fared heaps better than the beef Massaman in terms of how the protein was prepared.  The duck slices were still tender and juicy.  Spot on!

 

While we were looking through the menu, Ness could not take her eyes of the word “crispy pork belly”!  You know a true pork eater when you see one and Ness definitely loves her pork.  This was the “crispy pork belly”  with Kailan vegetables.To me, the pork belly would definitely be crunchy if not for the vegetable stir fry.  Simple put it this way yeah.  For foodies’ sake, do not call something what it is not.  It annoys me so much.  This for me was a beautiful dish if not for its deceptive name.  The pork was yummy and the kailan just went so well with it.  For a vegetable dish, it was superb!  But when the pork is not crispy, I felt disappointed.

 

We also ordered a Som Tam and a Larb Gai (chicken larb) for our salads.The Som Tam barely made it through the passing mark.  Its delightfully crunchy vegetables were somewhat not complemented by the sauce.  It came out lukewarm which is another sad thing.  I was expecting it to come out slightly cold but not too cold.  Also, the typical strong flavors from the lemon/lime/vinegar was not there.  I wanted that punch of flavor so badly but I did not get any.  This similar error followed onto the larb where it was mediocre.  The seasoning was wrong and I needed more flavor.  A lot more flavor.  Give me lime lime lime, sugar sugar sugar and fish sauce please.

 

One of the last dishes which came out was the Pad Thai.The noodles were spot on and all the ingredients were top notch.  My request this time?  Minus a little sugar please.  It came out a little sweeter than desired not but nothing too dreadful.  It was still yummy as far as I was concerned!

 

Compiling my experience at Pertica together, I realize that the food here is actually above average.  It taste good but in many departments it felt lacking that little bit more which distinguishes perfection from good.  Or in the case of the Som Tam and Larb, a pass to a delicious.  It needed that extra oomph.  Flavor flavor flavor.  Sweetness was a little overboard with the Pad Thai too which made me a little dubious of the market Pertica aims for.  Was it a faux Thai restaurant or an authentic place for keen eaters like myself?  In terms of pricing, everything was reasonable around the 15-20 mark.  However, if you intend to share among a group (in my case 7), you will definitely need to order at least 2 serves of each dish as it was rather small.  For the tom yam, at least 4 to share among everyone.  Service here was another issue which might be due to them being new.  It was slow and the service felt understaffed.  However, despite these issues I am very happy to say that I have something to eat nearby my place.  If Pertica lifts their game, I would definitely be a frequent customer as Northbridge parking is now such a bitch.  Not to mention the unnecessary traffic jam along Newcastle St. Or William St. where I had some totally FML experiences recently.

 

WenY

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Bites: Red Opium @ Perth CBD

With catchy names like F-duck, Kiss of Death, and Crying Wagyu populating its menu, Red Opium is without a doubt one of the most interesting entries in Perth this year.  While the menu screams Thai, do not be fooled as Red Opium prefers to be called “Thai inspired”.  So if owner Penny drops by your table, authentic is not a word that will score you points.   This new eatery distinguishes itself from the conventional by offering unique Thai-styled tapas.   Funny thing though is that they do not serve alcohol.  Perhaps it is something they might soon obtain as I know how good Thai cocktails can be with fruits, vodka and a hint or basil/mint.  For me, its even better than a Mexican Sangria.

For Mei and Ness’s birthday dinner tonight, we had the banquet @ $50 per person.

The first appetizer was the yin and yang dip.  Presumably the light creamy dip was the yang.  It was finely diced prawns in a delicious coconut broth.  The crunch from the Papadam was perfect to accompaniment for the yummy prawn dip which benefit from the sweetness of the coconut milk.  The next one was minced meat with pork crackling.  At this point I feel compelled to praise the chef behind this appetizer because it was super simple but it worked.   Just basic crunchy goodness!  With the Indian influence in the papadam and Western influence from the crackling, it was clear that the direction of Red Opium was more Thai-inspired than Thai-authentic. 

 

The next dish was the Petite satay.

While it was decent, it was far from mind blowing.  The chicken bites were tender and the peanut sauce was OK, but in terms of flavors it felt lacking.  Coming from Malaysia I expected the satay to have more flavor.  Something like ginger, turmeric and more spices. 

 

Next came the tom yam soup.

Eating this dish, it was a shame that Red Opium insists that their food is Thai-inspired and not Thai-authentic because it was one heck of a Tom Yam.  The flavors were all spot on.  It had spicy, sour, salty and spicy all in one magic concoction.  Also, it has been awhile since I had prawns which I can really say hit that spot of freshness with a mild sea flavor to it still present.  All seafood here are sourced from Kailis when I spoke to the owner!  To top it off, this for me was definitely a great dish that could have been Thai-authentic. Oh, and if you ask for hot, do prepare to taste some heat.  I bit into a chili and did not feel so manly after.

 

After the three appetizers, we had a great time catching up with Mei on her time onsite and joked about the typical lame rubbish we always do.  Felt good as we do not meet up quite as often as we would like to!  It took nearly 45 minutes for our mains to be served.  But this came with a good explanation as the kitchen was short of 1 chef as he had fallen ill.  In fact, the owner kindly offered us drinks which we all declined to have (except Ness) as we are responsible drivers :P! 

 

First main was the F-duck; Roast duck, red curry, veggies, lychees.

The picture IMHO is a give away.  This was Red Opium’s reinterpretation of the classic Roast Duck red curry.  What flavors does one expect?  Definitely a rich curry with great flavors coming from the fruit, duck and vegetables.  The curry sauce felt nice but in our opinion was way too little to enjoy with the rice.  Then again, it was intentional as the dish wanted to promote the other elements like cherry tomatoes, brussel sprouts and such.  I found that reasoning to be poor in justification as a diner but this is a clear case of design vs practicality.  Like a classic case of engineer vs architects, there is almost no right or wrong but a matter of preference.  Last highlight of this dish was the fact that the roast duck sat nicely there allowing its skin to still be mildly crisp which was quite a treat!

 

Next dish was the Masaman Beef; Slow-cooked beef cheeks, potatoes, masaman curry, peanuts

This for me was a true curry dish.  I have had many variations of the Masaman  as well as the Panang curry and would decline to comment on the flavor as every goddamn version seem to taste different.  But hey, this was tasty and it was everything a curry should be.  For me, the Masaman curry was the highlight with the tender beef and potatoes cooked perfectly.  It was not lacking in sauce or spices and because of this, I had heaps of rice.  A good curry and a generous serve of rice; god this was a meal on its own.  Delicious.

 

As Red Opium revolves about Thai-inspired cuisine, its decoration is not cluttered but felt rather stylish which made its food good to look at and at the same time tasty.  Sure its no dehydrated apple with a golden string through it like Robuchon and neither does it use foam or smoke like Amuse but hey! This was pretty decent!  Taste wise, I did not really put much effort in deciphering the elements but the use of garlic was quite obvious here.

The Kiss of Death; king prawns, garlic, caramelized sauce.

 

The next dish we ordered was the Fisherman’s Catch; deep fried snapper fillets, soya bean oil, peanuts

One the outside, these snapper fillets look exactly like the perfect beer battered fish n’ chips that Heston does.  It was crunchy, crispy and just so beautifully fried.  While not everyone likes batter and some might liken it to the rip-off Chinese sweet and sour pork , I really enjoyed the batter.  The downfall though was the flesh of the fish which was  a little tough a.k.a rubbery with a slight stench too.  My friends and I also found the sweet savory sauce to be insufficient for those generous slices of fish.

 

A dish which came last in the banquet was the Som Tum; paw paw, green beans, dried shrimps, peanuts, soft shell crab.

This again felt good.  It was IMHO Thai-authentic.  Very hard to fault with a minimalistic dish but then again, it is something the chef is expected to do right, and in this instance it was.  My question here really, is it the correct course to arrive before the dessert?  Was this a palate cleanser? It was refreshing but the acidity mixed with the slight sweetness and saltiness make a person feel like eating more.  For me, this should have been served as the first main or even along with the other appetizers.

The dessert that night was ice cream with a choice of jackfruit or mangosteen.

Both came out in little glasses and it was great to see such rare flavors reaching the table despite its out of this world price.  I really liked the flavor and the small bite size mangosteen in the ice cream.  I would question the floss but if it does no harm then I will just let it be.  Around the table most people would have enjoyed the ice cream as no one shows signs of displeasure.

 

Red Opium really felt like a great place for tapas dining. In fact, if an alcohol license is soon obtained,  Red Opium might need a bigger floor space.  However, it play its game risky by calling itself Thai-inspired and not Thai-authentic.  This always brings in the question of whether enough has been done or has it achieved enough to succeed an authentic culture.  Surely Red Opium is no old hag or a lazy slob playing safe as I tasted and saw from my dinner.  Execution was great but to me, it still lacked that final bit of finesse like the lack of sauce, and the freshness of the produce as seen in the case of the fish. However, if one were to find out the background of the owners which hails from the engineering industry, I am pretty chuffed to see how far they have came with their culinary skills.  I work in an engineering firm and I see what people eat everyday….. @@.. I shall cease to comment as it may result in insult.  Anyways, for $50 a head, I would definitely come back!

 

WenY

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Bites: Nahm Thai @ Highgate

As an amateur to the fine dining scene in Perth, the suburb Highgate and Mount Lawley has been nothing but surprisingly good (although EXPENSIVE) restaurants.  Located next to one of my favourite Japanese fusion restaurant Nine Fine Food, a Thai restaurant has taken the decadent Thai cuisine to a whole new level.   To start off, I am going to put a little controversial statement that if you dislike Thai food, you probably do not know how to eat. Fact.

For Nahm Thai, this was all business and this was no joke.  Forget messy, forget street style Bangkok food.  At Nahm Thai, it is all about the finesse and matching taste without losing its traditional roots.  Funny fact though, is that Nahm Thai is not run by a Thai person but instead a Vietnamese couple who is passionate about their Thai food.   On Saturdays, only a Nahm Thai set menu is available for $75 per head. 

 

Galloping Horse was our first appetizer where little slices of pineapples and orange segments were topped with a paste which closely resembled “belachan”  or prawn paste.  Clearly present were bits of dried prawns which were nice.  It was sweet, and salty with a hint of heat but not too much.  With the fruit, it was really quite tasty although it did not really “wow” the palette as it did to the eye!

 

Soft shell crab, watermelon, salad was probably one of the best dishes that night.  Whether it was the delicious sauce or the perfectly crispy soft shell crab, it was yummy!  Underneath all that fried crabs are a bed of diced watermelon which works quite nicely with the crispy seafoods.  I realize that watermelon goes well with deep fried slightly spicy food like the deep fried squid I had at Jacksons and even this dish at Nahm Thai is a really good example.

 

Scallop, curry and chili  was for me the reason why the first appetizer lost its “wow” factor.  The same paste we had on the fruit were used on these perfectly seared scallops with a spoonful of lip smacking red curry sauce.  For me, this combination was just absolute.  The large scallops means there is no hiding that delicious sweetness of the scallops despite the strong flavored herbed paste.  More importantly, the red curry sauce tied everything together for that one perfect morsel.  I really liked this!

 

Having the appetizers above, Nahm Thai had my appetizer riding a high although the similarity between the scallops and galloping horse will not have happened had they been able to supply their betel leaf.  Nonetheless, knowing what we ordered for our mains made me drool!First main served to us was the roast duck red curry with lychees and quail eggs.  Unlike previous versions I have had before, this was simply flawless especially the red curry sauce that was rich and extremely fragrant.   The sweetness is well toned on this one although it was a little sweeter than I would have liked.  But more importantly, is that the sweetness did not feel as if it was all from the sugared syrup.  It felt more subtle although its presence is unmistakable.  Also, one thing that made me like this even more was that the curry did not feel oily in anyway.  My previous tries even at the S & T Café was extremely oily.  To put it together, the roast duck red curry in Nahm Thai is simply sublime hitting all the right notes where it matters most!!

 

Crispy skin barramundi, and herbsOur next main was a fish course which to me turned out slightly disappointing.  The fish definitely felt lack luster with it soggy skin being the main cause.  And at this early stage, I am already starting to feel worried.  The little concoction which made the soft shell crab appetizer highly appetizing is starting to feel overused although in fact, the sauces could be different despite tasting similar.  Not sure how that works but I will not mention further.  The grilled vegetables went well with the fish and my praise for this dish is that the fish is very fresh.  I would normally not eat barramundi as I have heaps of bad experience with it being overly fish with a scent of muddiness.

 

Crispy pork hock

The pork hock was also the victim of the “same sauce”  syndrome with the exception that this also had a thicker syrup on the dish.  But for this dish, it was simply perfect.  The sauce is spot on.  Hard to fault as this combination of sweetness and pork like a classic pork roast and apple sauce.   Or perhaps turkey with cranberry sauce.    But more importantly, the pork hock was crisp on the skin, tender on the inside with absolutely no bones.  This was absolute joy!

 

Other than this dish, we also ordered grilled prawns which were placed on a bed of cucumber salad.  The crime?  SAME SAUCE problem.  No insults but it did not taste  any different from the sauce seen in the soft shell crab, fish, and pork hock.  To a certain extent, this is going to be a problem for most if not everyone.   To drag things a little lower, we were 1 prawn short which had your sincerely giving up the prawn so others could have theirs.  Fortunately though, I asked for an extra serve of dessert instead of troubling the chef to prepare one large prawn.

 

After a less than satisfying main (more reasons to come at the end), we were treated to our dessert course:The lime tart with coconut ice cream was a in house specialty that had me drooling with its presentation.  Taste wise, this dish splendidly displayed the zesty lime flavors that was simply delicious in desserts.  On first bite though, the acidity might feel a little overpowering.  But when the tongue adjusts itself to this velvety smooth lemon custard, it was hard to stop.  The crust was slightly hard but that was hardly enough to fault with the dessert.  For me, I thoroughly enjoyed it but to my dismay, my dining companion enjoyed it even more than I did.  I have always thought that he is no big fan of sour foods but I was wrong.

 

For my second dessert, I could not have gone any further than to try the benchmark of any Thai cooking, the obligatory sticky rice with coconut milk and fresh mangoes.  Not joking! In Thailand  most electric rice cookers come with multiple levels drawn on the pot which distinguishes between water levels needed to cook glutinous rice and normal rice.This was delicious in almost every place that screams “I’m authentic” and the version at Nahm Thai did not disappoint either.  But where changes can be made for the better, I felt that the sticky rice was a little tougher than I would have liked it to be.  Pandan leaf taste was way too subtle as if it never existed.  For me, the rice has to be fragrant, light, and cooked just right.  And to me, having deep fried shallots just does not make the cut.    While it seems like I have faulted with every element except the coconut milk and the mango,  it was still pretty good.  But in my list of tops, nowhere near Jim’s mother’s version where authentic Thai is finished with a touch of homeliness.

 

Another issue I need to point out was the fact that the Jasmine rice was a little hard that night.  But having mixed the coconut and Jasmine rice in equal proportions help bring the carbs back on track!

 

At the end, Nahm Thai is clearly a winner when it comes to quality food which further reinforces that fact that anyone can cook anything.  But with its highs comes its lows where the food to a certain extent felt slightly one dimensional with the sauce and condiments used over and over again.    Then comes the fact that the waitress seemed more interested in varying our meat than the flavors that day.  But how does Nahm Thai change the Thai food scene in Perth.   For me, the quality here significantly differs itself from other high end places without being pretentious.  Nahm Thai could easily be a whole new level if our choices were made with better help from the waitress.  Unfortunately in this particular occasion, it was good but not great enough to be prided as Thai dining at a whole new level.  I remembered the menu and I know what we should have ordered to avoid the problem of the same sauce issue.  A step which could have made our meal a whole new level.

 

My pick for a more than 3 person Nahm degustation is:

Appetizers:

Scallops on shell

Crispy soft shell crab

Miang Prawns

 

Main:

Roast Duck Red Curry

Crispy Pork Hock

King Prawn Green Curry

Beef Stew (Nahm Thai’s version of the Massaman)

 

Dessert:

Any.

 

WenY

Bites: Thailicious @ Northbridge

Thailicious is one of the newer restaurants in town which really benefits the coupon selling industry.   Without new experimental places like these, people like me tend to get caught up in our comfort zone by going to restaurant we always go to.   Placed along the bustling strip of James Street, Thailicious sits next to Oliver’s, a place which I had high regards for.  Arriving on time, I was promptly seated by the waitress and was politely informed of the limitations for the coupon I had which she did again when my dining companions arrived.  Admittedly, I have always had a soft spot for the service provided at Thai restaurants as they are  often more polite than most. 

 

For appetizers, we started with tiny morsels of decadent Thai chicken balls.Before you readers get at me for calling simple chicken balls moreish, how many times have chicken balls served to you come out tasting like pre-made ones of out the bags?  For me, one too many times.  These here were the subject of some TLC before being crumbled and fried.  Though dressing and salad felt all too cliché, I was sold as the balls packed good flavor.  But 6 balls for $19.50 is a hard buy.  Top Nepalese restaurants sell 10 momos for $15 and that was simply sublime when I had it here @ the Himalayan Restaurant Victoria Park.

 

The next appetizer were the fish cakes tasted TYPICAL.  It had all the qualities of a Thai fish cake in terms of flavors but what it lacked for me perhaps is that just cooked till right consistency which was a little bounce and an easy to bite apart feel.  These felt a little overcooked making them tough.

 

After our appetizers, it did not take long for our mains to be served.  This I guess were one of the benefits of eating out on a weekday!The chicken fried rice was served very artistically shaped like hmmmmmm a flan? Ok bad description but lets move on.  It tasted alright but felt a little sweet.  Each bit of rice was perfectly cooked mainly whole although crush at some places.  And here comes my biggest complain.  I hate those god damn frozen vegetables which I term “3 color poison”!.  These are just a pain to see and eat.  My travels in Bangkok never once was I served such pesky vegetables but they are all over in Australia.  Is it really that hard for some leafy greens to make their way onto the table?  SAD! :(!

 

The Panang Pork curry was one of the highlights that night.  It was simply sublime when served hot.  When my friend’s mom made this for us earlier this year,  I was blown away.  I am used to the runny curry just oozing with flavor but when served dry, it actually alleviates the taste of the curry.  At Thailicious it falls somewhere in between and was to me, still delicious.

 

The duck curry to me is still my very first experience at Thai curry when I first flew to Bangkok nearly 13 years ago.  And even today, it still is a dish I hope to relive its glory.  For me, the only curry which has a good balance of fruitiness, spice and textures are the ones served at Ying Thai 2 in Melbourne.  My past experiences in Perth has never left me satisfied.  Unfortunately, Thailicious falls into that category as well.  For me, it was tasty but overly sweet and the amount of duck meat was miniscule.  And to a certain extent, a little too oily!

 

The deep fried fish fillets topped with aromatic Thai herbs was another dish that is on my good books other than the Panang Pork curry.  The fillets were crisp, the herbs were tantalizing and more importantly, well executed.  But be vary, do not bite into the herbs at the top.  I did and I almost died there.

 

The last dish was the basil stir-fried beef with chilis! It was again another dish that was rather typical but it was typically good.  For me, this dish is a comfort food used to top a rice bowl and finished with a fried egg.  This was no lesser of standard compared to S & T Thai Café on William Street which to me serves the best Pad Ka Prow.

 

At the end of the night, we were all filled.  It was a long dinner of 6 mains (some with no pictures) a few appetizers and drinks for the table.  For the quality of food that we were served, I felt satisfied.  The coupon for 6 of us costed something like 70 bucks which was extremely cheap.  Comparing that price to the menu, the meal should have cost more than $150.  I recently read comments on Urbanspoon mentioning that the city has a gap of somewhat the cheaper places like S & T Café which is more suited for a quick meal and the more expensive places like Dusit Thai.  True enough, places like Thailicious with a more upmarket setting fits nicely in the middle.  But how does this compare with the need?  After all, it is being really good or really bad that keeps you in people’s memories.  Being average is really nothing to shout about.   Fortunately though, its just the pricing that falls in between, not the quality.  Most of the dishes served to me was pretty good.  Even my picky sister would agree with the exception of the tom yam which she felt tasted like out of the bottle.

 

WenY

Bites: Bua Siam @ Langford

The word ‘Thailand’ has always had an important meaning to me.  Whether it is  was about having Thailand as my neighbouring country, or having good Jimmy as a trustworthy buddy in Perth. So to add, I have always loved visiting Thailand and even have Thailand running through my veins! More importantly, I have a strong liking for Thai food and never would I turn down the opportunity to try any recommendations.  My friend recently celebrated his birthday at Bua Siam in Langford and he told me that he though it was pretty good.  1 month has lapsed and here I was.  Bua Siam for dinner with the peeps and Yobi!

 

To start our meal, we called for a serve of Thai fishcakes @ $8.90

To our dismay this dish did not turn out well leaving much to be desired; and to a certain extent, we were debating whether the fishcakes were bought frozen off the shelves.  Perhaps that explains 8 pieces for 9 dollars which is a very hard find nowadays.  Or at least when you are in Australia.

 

Next was the  Roast Duck red curry @ $21.  The sauce was thick, creamy and a little too sweet.  It had generous portions of fruits and vegetables, but was caught a little short on the duck meat.  Nevertheless, it still has a good taste but did not satisfy!

 

Then came the Beef Green Curry @ $19.  The green curry was good but I felt a little hint of bitterness in the sauce.  Not quite sure what went wrong but overall it was OK.  Beef slices were tender and not overly done.

 

And what is a Thai meal without the trademark Tom Yam Soup! We ordered a large bowl @ $15 and manage to dish out 8 small bowls for each of us.  While the soup did not taste exactly like Tom Yam, it was not all doom and gloom but failed to meet the standard set by S & T!  Sister commented that it tasted a little more like a HK style Borsch soup!

 

Another dish we ordered is a popular stir-fry dish,  the Pad Bai Ga Pow which to me is stir-fry meat with basil!  Unfortunately, this dish was not enchanted by that lovely smell when you finish of this sort of dish by stirring in the basil leaves with the fire off giving the blend meat a refreshing basil fragrance!  Rather unfortunate that it appealed to me more of a Chinese stir-fry than a Thai one :(!  Believe it or not, few people were still asking where was our Pad Bai Ga Pow even after this dish was served =.=!

 

We also ordered a steam fish with coriander, lime and chilli @ $26.  While the sauce was quite good, the fish meat was absolutely terrible.  It felt as if the fish was really old or perhaps they used  a fish which texture is unknown to me!  Perhaps I would go for the deep fried fish with three taste.  I reckon that would be something that suits me better!

 

Last but not the least, we ordered a minced meat salad (Larb) which I thought was one of the best dishes that day.  It had a good mixture of spices and sauces which went perfectly well with the rice.  But this was not what I expected because I would normally have the Larb with cabbage or lettuce.  Nevertheless, it was a good attempt even though it seems like the capsicums have gone astray into this dish.  However, some commented that it was a little too salty which was true, but with rice it was alright.

 

At the end of the meal, I felt full but hmm that sense of satisfaction just was not there.  It was as if I could still do another round.  Yobi on the other hand thought it was ok but it could have been better! I asked him for a score out of 10 and he reckon about a 6 although to me that was the maximum score I would have given. The little darling and her girls were now a little worried, perhaps more reluctant to go for Thai food if it is not S & T or perhaps Dusit Thai.  What can I say? Can’t blame them can I? haha even my sister’s facial expression was = @@!  But I reckon the main problem at the end of the day was that the intensity of the flavours have been tuned down to suit the Australian crowd rather than a Thai one.

 

WenY