I can’t recall the very first time I ever had Thai food. What I do know is that B and I have a serious affection for it. The essence of Thai food is all about balance – achieving the perfect harmony between sweet, hot, sour and salty. Thai food manages to retain a unique flavour all of its own.
This from David Thompson’s Thai Food released in 2002: “Thai cooking is at odds with the modern world, where speed and simplicity are paramount. Thai is not an instant cuisine, prepared with the flick of a knife and finished with the toss of a pan. It needs the cook’s attention, it expects time and effort to be spent and it requires honed skills, but it rewards with sensational tastes.”
Thai food is so comforting. It’s the kind of food that makes me happy when I eat it. Alluring tastes of salty fish sauce, sour lime, sweetness from palm sugar and hot chilli. The best kind is as delicious and amazing as it is fiery. You can’t stop eating it – nor do you want to.
I’m sure there’s nothing as good as Thai food in Thailand. Thailand has been on our list of places to visit for forever and we’ll get there one day (it’s a very long list). We’ve had some excellent Thai dishes in Melbourne – and just recently when we visited the city last month.
Melbourne restaurants such as Cookie, Longrain, Rice Paper Scissors and Chin Chin are among our favourite places to satisfy our craving for Thai and Asian food more generally. I find these places don’t ‘dumb down’ their food. They are all about fresh, delicious and authentic food – and not surprisingly, they all have a large fan base.
Cookie {252 Swanston St, Melbourne} – a beer hall with a little kitsch thrown in here and there. We love the salmon, prawn & pomelo salad with ginger and lemongrass as well as the barramundi fillets in banana leaf, red curry with coconut and basil.
Longrain {40-44 Little Bourke St, Melbourne} – brings a little fine dining to the Chinatown precinct. Wonderful freshly shucked oysters, delicious betel leaves with smoked trout, mint and green papaya. The red curry with wild barramundi, ginger and lime is deliciously gutsy with chilli.
Rice Paper Scissors {19 Liverpool St, Melbourne} – a casual funky place serving finger-lickin’ Vietnamese and Thai street food. Five dishes for $55 plus daily specials on the black board. Love the char-grilled beef with spicy citrus dipping sauce and lime cured kingfish salad with mint, chilli and shallots.
Chin Chin {125 Flinders Ln, Melbourne} – a real cheeky, pop culture cool vibe with a buzzing atmosphere. Authentic Asian flavours on offer with exciting twists. Yes, expect some ridiculous queues later at night. The kingfish sashimi is among the best I’ve had.
There is an ever-growing list of food places I love in this city. Thai food being the biggest draw card for us. One thing all these places have in common is that they tempt us to return to try more. And we will. We’re very excited to try David Thompson’s new restaurant – Long Chim – opening in Perth next month.