Top Five ... Thai Dishes

The Age

Saturday May 26, 2007

David Sutherland

1. Grapow neua (beef with basil and chilli) at Thai Food To Go, 141 Chapel Street, Windsor, 9510 2112 ($14.50)

This simple dish encompasses everything that is exciting and delicious about Thai food. It's essentially wok-fried minced beef with vegies, but it's so much more than that. Savour a mouthful like you would a good wine to determine what's truly going on. Heat from fresh chilli plays off sweetness provided by palm sugar, aromatic Thai basil dances with salty-sour fish sauce, with garlic and onion providing added bite. Harmony and simplicity and zingy character to match the kitsch-cool feel of the venue.

2. Som tum (Green papaya salad) at River Kwai, shop 3/1310 Centre Road, Clayton, 9545 5688 ($17.90)

The salted crab and dried prawns give this dish a delightful pungency reminiscent of the street stalls of south-east Asia. This fermented earthiness is the first characteristic that hits you. The second is the sweet-sourness provided by raw green papaya strips, lemon juice, fish sauce and palm sugar; and the third - after a few seconds - is the chilli. Thump! This dish is laced with it, which thrills those of us concerned about watered-down Thai food. Thumbs up to this friendly joint in downtown Clayton for its authenticity - and skill.

3. Mieng kway tiaw at Lemongrass, 176 Lygon Street, Carlton, 9662 2244 ($19.50)

Some of the true highlights of Thai food can be found in the dainty little morsels that arrive as appetisers. The mieng kway tiaw at Lemongrass comprises six heavenly parcels of minced chicken flavoured with lemongrass and assorted seasonings and topped with raw garlic, raw chilli and raw lychee. The idea is to spoon the accompanying sweet and tangy sauce onto the mixture in the open parcels then wrap it all up in the lettuce and rice paper before devouring. A fingerbowl is kindly supplied to rinse your fingers afterwards.

4. Caramelised pork hock with chilli vinegar and deep fried eschallots at Longrain, 44 Little Bourke Street, city, 9671 3151 ($28.50)

Heart-stoppingly rich, this slow-cooked dish is best shared. The pork hock is deep fried, then simmered slowly and at length in a complex master stock, before being cut into chunks and deep fried again. A sticky palm-sugar syrup flavoured with star anise and cassia is drizzled over the crisp-edged (and quite fatty) pieces of pork, and a tart chilli vinegar is alongside to cut through the sweetness. Scattered coriander, julienned chilli and deep-fried eschallots complete the picture. Just about as indulgent as Thai food gets.

5. Pad Thai at Patee Thai, 371-373 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, 9419 6618 ($12.60)

Just because Pad Thai is by nature an everyday sort of dish doesn't mean it has to be bland. In fact, the very best versions - and there are numerous variations - combine the most attractive elements of Thai food in a single delicious dish designed to be a complete, quickly eaten meal. Brunswick Street's Patee Thai consistently produces a memorable version, the tangle of rice noodles, importantly, redolent of the "breath of the wok", and with just the right amount of sweetness, sourness and saltiness. -- DAVID SUTHERLAND