 THAI SELECT FOOD REVIEWS- 'A THAISTE OF HEAVEN'
To quote a very old advertising gem “ Oils ain’t Oils’.
Let me now say this: ‘Thai ain’t Thai”
Each of the three restaurants I reviewed, while being nominally ‘Thai cuisine’ were absolutely distinct in their approach, ambience and style.
What they do have in common is that each one offers exceptional food and each is a jewel in its own way.
In my visits one thing became clear- a "Thai Select" Award really is a guarantee of something really exceptional. It is a guarantee of a truly wonderful Thai dining experience.
Each of these restaurants was beautiful, inviting, welcoming and unique, serving absolutely beautiful food.
Visit any of these establishments and get a gustatorial high from the food they must surely eat in heaven.
Simply put, Thai Select Cuisine is a Taste of Heaven.
KHAO THAI RESTAURANT
367 Sydney Road Balgowlah
Tel: (02) 9907 9567
My first impression of Khao Thai was the warmth, charm and politeness I received while booking to review the restaurant. This held true when my guest delayed our booking a half hour. On arrival we were still made to feel wonderfully warmly welcome.
My guest for the evening was a seasoned foodie- he knows his onions well as his chili, galanga and lemongrass! Thai is among his favourite cuisines. He’s picky and hard to please as only someone who eats out 100% of the time can be. He is always looking for the best. He was vocally adamant en route that good Thai could not be found in Balgowlah. ‘No way’, he said. And if there was, he’d know about it, he said.
He was about to eat food that would make him eat his words!
The Khao Thai menu is so diverse and comprehensive we were having trouble choosing. My dream in these situations is to be able to sample everything. Kind of a Thai Yum Cha/ degustation if you will.
As if by E.S.P our host, owner, manager and Thai chef Warnie Boonal shimmered smilingly forth to offer to bring us her specialist signature dishes. Fantastico! Or however you say that in Thai!
Entrees were a selection of the paper chicken (ooh- ahh), fish cakes, (fabulous) satays, curry puffs (best I’ve had ever)
And of course the Tom Yum Kung Soup - Now I LOVE Tom Yum Kung Soup. If I am feeling ill with an incipient cold or flu, a good Tom Yum is the first thing I crave. It is also a magnificent sorter-outer for a hangover- try it this Christmas or New Year. The broth and the herbs are medicinal and curative.
So, as a fish soup fanatic with form, Warnie’s Tom Yum knocked my little socks off. Simply put, it’s a 10. Depth, intensity, delicacy, freshness, beautiful huge fresh perfect king prawns, lemongrass and galanga in an epiphany of kaffir lime. Did I mention the perfect succulent king prawns?
Warnie’s Tom Yum sings a pure descant, clear, high, deliciously balanced, piquant, perfect. Guaranteed to cure what ails you. 10/10. Houston, we have Lift Off.
Our mains: lamb soft-shelled crab, Pad Thai, lamb or beef salad, roasted duck in panang sauce. My guest pronounced the soft-shelled crab the best he’d had. It shamed the crab we’d had at his local Thai eatery the week before that cost nearly twice the price.
Our Khao Thai Lamb was mind blowing- beautiful huge chunks of tender, sweet, moist lamb, perfectly cooked, melted in the mouth, in a deep, aromatic, rich sauce. The lamb itself was infused with aromatic flavour, totally sensational, as was the Duck Panang and the Thai Beef Salad.
For dessert, Warnie brought us the most simple and delicious healthy little banana and taro in sticky rice, wrapped in banana leaf. I swear, as a cake-a holic, this was as good as any cake, and yet it was also healthy! If Marie Antoinette had uttered – “Let them eat Taro and banana with sticky rice wrapped in a leaf” she may have kept her head even if they thought she’d lost her mind.
Warnie is passionate about classical Thai food, and that passion comes out in her food. It’s full of love, vitality and gusto.
Each dish is generous and also incredible value- I have paid double the price for food not half as divine as Warnie’s. Khao Thai is exceptional value.
If you love classical Thai food Thai Khao is in a class of its own.
Do your mouth and wallet huge favour and give Ning or Warnie a call. This is the place to take family and friends -everyone will love Khao Thai.
And you as well for taking them there.
Food 9 /10
Ambience 9/10
Service 10/10
Value 10 /10
S&I THAI (we called it “Simple and Irresistible”)
283 Miller Street
North Sydney
Tel: (02) 9929 6696
HEAVENLY
S&I is tucked away in Miller Street near North Sydney Oval.
It’s a lovely spot and S & I Thai is a lovely spot within its precinct.
I loved the atmosphere- it was soft, relaxing, modern and beautiful, exactly right to enjoy S&I’s food with my handsome, well traveled dining companion.
This is modern Thai at its best, and is fabulous value.
Of the three restaurants I reviewed I really enjoyed this restaurant for its beauty, service, ambience, food. It has elegance, presentation and class yet is also relaxed and unselfconscious.
As far as ambience goes, S&I wins the competition hands down.
S&I, in my view, has the balance of all elements just exactly right, perfect for an intimate and pleasurable dinner with someone you love. And S&I Thai’s beautiful, pleasing and elegant wait staff add to its loveliness.
Entrees- a mixed entree for two had stunning satays, fab fish cakes, however the curry puff was a little average - which mattered not a jot when the mains arrived- the fabulous, delicate, spicy fresh beautifully presented King Prawn and fresh coconut salad, a divine fusion of freshness, lightness and flavour. My Choo Chee fish fillet arrived in its own funky green fresh coconut shell and was rich, aromatic, creamy and deeply delicious. Both were divine.
The Tom Yum was very good- light and delicate, wonderfully spicy and aromatic, but not good enough to topple Khao Thai Warnie’s wonder- sorry chef Jen!
And as if it was not all totally great, S&I’s desserts were exceptionally fine and exceptional value- I had a coconut pumpkin custard with sticky rice and vanilla ice cream each in its own little ramekin and beautiful presented.
I would go to S&I for this dessert alone.
And it cost- wait for it- $6.90!! Amazing!
Food 9/10
Ambience 10/10
Service 10/10
Value 10/10
Who to take- The one you love.
Bai Yok Thai Restaurant
122 Edinburgh Road
Castlecrag
Tel: (02) 9438 3941
Of the three restaurants Bai Yok has the most sophisticated approach to Thai cuisine. It’s elegant modern Thai - the presentation and food is exceptional and impressive.
My dining companion for the night was a seasoned foodie and art director who is somewhat of an authority when it comes to taste and presentation. She was suitably impressed.
Our entrée, a most beautiful arrangement of scallops on betel leaves with fresh crisply fried shredded coconut with a beautiful sauce was magic, a little like Peking duck in that you wrap the scallop in the fresh crisp leaf pop it in your mouth and enjoy the flavour explosion. Awesome!
The Bai Yok Tom Yum Kung was very good, but still does not topple Warnie from Khao Thai’s.
Our main courses were amazing, every mouthful perfection. The fillet of duck was the best duck I have ever eaten. Our beef curry melted in the mouth. This is serious food, a notch above anything else. Bai Yok offers the best of the best- a fusion of three elements- thai ingredients, modernity fusion and a more formal haute cuisine approach. Of the restaurants I reviewed, Bai Yok has the edge for exceptionally high quality food, finesse and elegance of presentation. This is the restaurant to take someone you want to impress- your in-laws, or your boss for instance. Bai Yok also has an outdoor dining area so you can enjoy the nights as beautiful as they are at this time of year. 
Our lovely host Michael’s food is really perfection or as close as you can come to it. He is the embodiment of his restaurants – modern, elegant, sophisticated. He and his family also own and operate Thai Nine in Mosman. Another bonus is Michael’s fabulous wine selection- he personally buys and selects his wines and the SA Merlot he chose for us was exquisite.
You would never expect to find such a fabulous restaurant in the Northern suburbs, but Bai Yok is worth the drive. And if you can’t make it to Castelcrag, call Thai Nine in Mosman and have the ultimate Thai experience closer to town.
Bai Yok’s food and approach to modern Thai cuisine is as classy as it gets.
Food 10/10
Service 9/10
Ambience 9/10
Value 10/10
Who to take- the Clients, the Inlaws, the boss.
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