In Thailand, food is at the heart of its culture, and the distinctive flavours and ingredients used in their cooking have gone global.
As with Indian and Italian food, there’s a Thai restaurant in almost every suburb. Sadly, not all of them are a true Thai experience.
During their holidays – and Thai new year has just passed – people will scour the provinces for the best noodles, or food which is authentic to specific regions.
The northeast is famous for its larp, a minced dish with fish sauce, finely chopped vegetables, chilli, shallots, red onion and ground rice powder.
They also have a sausage which uses similar meat offerings to Scottish haggis or British black pudding, but puts the flavour of either to shame.
In northern Thailand, there are a few distinctive dishes, but not quite as prevalent as the northeastern ones on western menus.
They have a bamboo worm which tastes a little like deep fried chips and isn’t found here, and a sausage which is a variant on the northeastern version.
But the one dish which doesn’t get enough service is a noodle dish called “khao soi” which loosely translates to the type of noodle used in the dish.
There’s a soft noodle in the bottom swimming in a northern Thai yellow curry, and crunchy noodles on top, creating a beautiful contrast. It can be supplemented with any type of meat, and usually comes with shallots, red onion, a generous smattering of lemon or lime, and pickled radish or cabbage.
Bravo to Loganholme’s Thai Cuisine restaurant for putting it on their menu. It’s a favourite Thai dish which often misses out.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with the soft noodles or the fresh condiments, but it’s a nice western introduction if anybody hasn’t tried it.
The menu here is thorough and draws heavily from the street food of Thailand, with a number of stir fries and curries taking centre stage.
It’s been given a western twist to suit the local palate.
Pineapple fried rice is, for example, a tourist’s favourite when they hit the southern beaches of Thailand.
Battered fish with tamarind sauce is also adapted to western taste, with a drizzle of tamarind sauce over the light cuts of fish.
In Thailand, it would be more common to find a whole cooked fish which rests in a tray of vegetables and a sweet and sour sauce which calls on tamarind as the hero.
Australian celebrity chef David Thompson made himself famous by introducing the strong flavours of Thai herbs into dishes found wafting through the smaller alleys of Bangkok.
That said, the BYO Thai Cuisine at 37 Bryants Road provides plenty of options. My advice here would be to pair a beef or chicken-based salad with a stir fry. Go the duck with basil if you’re a fan – it’ll have more flavour than the chicken.
If there are three of you, throw in a green or red curry and you’ll walk away satisfied.
