Suburban Thai – Som Tam

Good afternoon my Dearest Reader’s hope you’re all enjoying your weekend 🙂 I’m not sure if you remember my friend Garfield, we’ve been friends since high school and he LOVES Thai food. We have gone to countless Thai restaurants and without fail he will order the same items from the menu! That’s why when I got an offer to review Som Tam a new Thai restaurant in Thornbury, I knew it was the perfect excuse to catch up!

Garfield (nickname of course) hates photos but I managed to snap this one and he allowed me to post it as long as it was black and white 😛 This guy has not changed at all! Just wondering my Dear Readers do you still keep in contact with your high school friends?

Chang Beer $8

Mr Bao came with us as well and the boys decided it was a good night to have a beer or two or actually make that three. And they also stick with a Chang beer when we’re dining at a Thai restaurant.

Complimentary Som Tam

The restaurant itself is called Som Tam, and for those who don’t know it mean Green Papaya salad in Thai. We were all given a small dish of complimentary Som Tam which I thought was a nice gesture and palate cleanser.

Son in Law Eggs $7.9

I’m a huge fan of Son in Law eggs which are soft boiled eggs fried to give it a crispy skin, topped with caramelised red onion, chilli and herbs. The eggs were cooked well and still remained runny inside, I did find it to be a little under seasoned and would’ve liked some more chilli or onion flavours.

Roti Bread and Peanut sauce $4.5

Garfield and I are huge fans of roti bread and he’s introduced me to peanut sauce and now I can’t seem to get enough of it. The roti bread was fresh and warm, while the peanut sauce had more pronounce curry flavours than peanut, they paired each other quite well.

Thanks Mr Bao for being my trusty hand model. But perhaps next time I can paint your nails too? Hahaha just kidding!

Som Tam with Soft shell crab $12.90

I am a huge fan of Som Tam so since its their signature I had to try. We chose the soft shell crab salad as I find that more interesting. The Som Tam was made well fresh and crunchy, however, I found it too sour and not as spicy as I’ve had it in Bangkok. The soft shell crab was deep fried, it could have probably stayed in the deep fryer for a tad longer to make it extra crispy especially the thicker parts.

Tom Yum Soup with prawn $9.50

Mr Bao and I also shared the Tom Yum soup with prawns mushroom, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Once again I found it to be amore sour than spicy, but the prawns were very fresh and had good texture.

Pad Se Ew $15.90

Garfield was the first to introduced me to Pad Se Ew which is a stir fly noodle with beef slices, Chinese broccoli, pepper with a sweet soy sauce. This is his ultimate favourite dish out of all the dishes in Thai cuisine, he can eat this literally every day! He gave a big smile and nod to this Pad Se Ew as it was done right in his books made with beef and we could tell that it was freshly made and still piping hot. His only comment it that there was a little too much pepper for his liking.

Kana Moo Krob $15.90

I’m so glad I was dining with the boys, so I can try more dishes, we then shared a stir fry and curry dish. This is the Kana Moo Krob which is a stir fry of Chinese broccoli, crispy pork belly and garlic chilli oyster sauce. I could really taste the “breath of the wok” meaning the wok was heated to a high heat to cook this dish.

Red Curry Roast Duck $18.90

Mr Bao finally ordered the Red duck curry, he’s been talking about it for a while, but the last couple of Thai restaurants we visited either didn’t have duck or red curry. I was quite impressed that the duck is roasted in house with berries and longan added to the curry sauce to give it some overall sweetness.

Black Sticky Rice $4

The red duck curry sauce went very well with the Black Sticky rice. I’m not sure if I’ve told you this before, but I’m not really a fan of rice, never liked it or enjoyed it. However, I do like glutinous rice and when it’s black it’s even better as it’s got that nutty oat flavour to it. I also found that not many Thai restaurants serve black sticky rice so I was happy that they do here 🙂

After all that food I needed a break…so here is a picture of the interior, I believe Som Tam is newly renovated and has a modern casual dining atmosphere.

Sang Ka Ya $6.90

The boys downed another couple beers while I was busy choosing what desserts I wanted to try. I couldn’t decide between two or three…so what the heck…I’ll just get all that I wanted! Starting with this Sang Ka Ya which is a egg custard pudding with pumpkin, taro and shredded coconut on top and served with Mango ice-cream. I wasn’t sure how Garfield would take this dessert, as it is a very Asian style and flavoured pudding to my surprise it was his favourite! I really enjoyed the smooth texture of the custard and also the little pieces of taro through it.

Black Sticky Rice with coconut ice-cream $6.90

Yay! More black sticky rice for me! This is a very traditional Thai dessert and I remember eating numerous plates of this in Bangkok, however, it was often served with slices of mango, which is what I found missing from this dessert. And perhaps some coconut milk to poured over the black sticky rice would have added some more flavour.

Banana Roti $6.90

Then the final dish for the night was this Banana roti with the same fresh buttery flaky roti bread sandwiched with slices of banana, whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup. This become my favourite!

I will be honest before visiting Som Tam I was a little wary as I have read mixed reviews about the restaurant. It appeared to be either really good or not so great at all. Even though I do find some dishes lacked chilli and spice. I understand that the chefs are trying to accommodate to the tastes and preferences of locals. I am very glad I came and tried, as we all enjoyed ourselves. I actually found the price of the dishes to be very reasonable, with nothing even mains over $25 while service was quick and pleasant. I would happily return to Som Tam more often if it was closer to where I lived, but I’m sure if I wanted to Garfield would drive again!

Daisy@Nevertoosweet and guests dined at Som Tam as their guest all opinions are my own. 

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Amazing Pandan Cake – Jinda Thai

I never knew my high school friend Garfield (nickname) was ever into food, because I never really saw him eat! I just remember him drinking crazy amounts of Coke Zero or Pepsi Max and the only food he liked was calamari. But recently he’s been asking me to take him places and introduce him to more food places especially Thai restaurants. He’s spent a couple of weeks there last year and did the same this year and is now fully hooked on and even wants to move there and live one day!

It was his birthday last week and when I asked him where he wanted to go, of course he said ‘THAI’ just like I would say ‘anywhere with desserts’ 😛 I was brainstorming for places to go when I read Catherine’s post about Jinda Thai and remember seeing a few more people on Instagram going and everyone seemed to really enjoy it ~

Jinda Thai isn’t on the busy main Victoria St but off a small side street Ferguson St and is adjacent with a Thai grocery store. I really liked the decor of the restaurant very different from what it looks like outside, it’s quite spacious with plenty of natural lighting, with the menu written on large black boards.

Chang Beer $6

The menu’s quite large with all the classic Thai dishes and also some other more authentic dishes that I haven’t heard of before such as the boat noodles. The Birthday boy felt like some beer and unquestionably had was Thai beer told you he’s obsessed! He was also telling us how much cheaper it is in Thailand only $1 a bottle.

Cha Yen Milk Tea $3

Aaron (@fongwi) and Catherine both demanded that I have to try the Thai Milk tea here at Jinda because they believed it to be one of the best. I didn’t know the Thai name for this drink was Cha Yen and I must agree it was amazing. Had strong tea flavours but then diluted and sweetened with condense milk. Mr Bao found it to be a little sweet but it was perfect for me!

Satay Platter $7.90

We decided to start off with some appetisers and ordered the satay platter with one of each beef, chicken and pork skewer covered in spicy peanut sauce and also served with a sauce on the side that tasted like vinegar. The satays had that nice chargrilled flavour and the meat was tender, we did find the portion a little small to be called a platter and wouldn’t have mind paying more for a few more satays.

Jinda’s rice paper rolls $6.90

I thought rice paper rolls were from Vietnam and didn’t now they had a version in Thai cuisine, the rolls was filled with chicken, rice vermicelli, carrots and lettuce. And a sweet ands spicy sauce was also given, I loved how soft and fresh the rice paper rolls were and wasn’t dry or hard, as it happens when they’re pre-made.

Som Tum Softshell Crab $12.90

I love Som Tum (green papaya salad) and I also adore softshell crab so putting them together made complete sense to me and it was delicious! Soft shell crab was crispy and wasn’t made soggy from the dressing. Mr Bao and Garfield found it a little spicy and had turned a little red, while I really liked the spiciness and heat. Highly recommend dish! But once again thought it was slightly small.

Pad See Ew with beef $14.90

Mr Bao and I don’t normally order Pad See Ew not because we don’t like it but we somehow order Pad Thai more. But it’s Garfield’s favourite and he was adamant that he wanted to try. This turned out to be Mr Bao and his favourite dish of the night. It was fresh from the wok and still piping hot when it reached out table, the sauce that covered the noodles wasn’t overpowering while the thin slices of beef was well marinated with Chinese vegetables mixed through. It reminded me a lot of a similar fried noodle beef dish we have in Hong Kong need to find the name ~

Boat noodles with glass noodles $9

I was really interested in the boat noodles where you can choose the soup base you wanted, and the type of noodles you wanted. I chose the spicy pork soup with glass noodles which came with sliced pork and pork meatballs. I loved the soft nearly melt in your mouth texture of the glass noodles and also the slightly herbal tasting soup. Some people have said that its quite similar to the Malaysian Bak Kut Teh (Herbal pork soup), which I agree but I find it less bitter and was sweeter. This was definitely my favourite dish and will have to order this again!

Condiments with Boat Noodles

The boat noodles also came with a little tray of condiments, with chilli flakes, salt, pickles of some sort and another more sour tasting sauce. We tried a little bit of everything and thought that the boat noodles already had enough flavour without adding these to it ~

Penang curry with chicken and pumpkin $14.90

Last dish we ordered was the Penang curry they usually do it with beef, but they were nice enough to change it to chicken for us as we didn’t want to beef dishes. This is another curry dish that I don’t get very often, but think I will order more from now on. I really liked the curry sauce and how it was slightly spicy but sweet at the same time. It gains more points because it has pumpkin pieces and I can never seem to get enough of it.

Deconstructed sticky rice $6.5

I was panicking a little when the waiter said that they didn’t have a dessert menu, but then said with a smile that he can tell me what desserts he had. *PHEW* There were a few options one of them was this deconstructed sticky rice dessert, with papaya, taro puree, glutinous rice and two scoops of coconut ice-cream. I found it to be very good value for only $6.5 and was lovely. Especially liked the taro and the chewiness from the glutinous rice. Found the coconut ice-cream to me quite light and more like a sorbet 🙂

Pandan chiffon cake with coconut ice-cream $8.50

Another dessert we got was the Pandan chiffon cake with coconut ice-cream. It was a small slice of cake and didn’t have much expectations but it turned out to be one of the best pandan chiffon cakes I have ever had. With the perfect soft moist texture and the creamy pandan frosting that has intense pandan flavours and not that flavour from artificial essence ~ If you like pandan cakes you will definitely love this one, I can’t wait to go to back and try the coconut cake!

Garfield, Magnus and I have been friend since year 7! 🙂

We really enjoyed our meal at Jinda Thai and Garfield thinks it’s very authentic and probably the closest compared to the ones he’s had in Bangkok ~ All the dishes were lovely with great flavour, we did find the dishes to be a little bit on the small side and even though we ordered quite a bit of food we didn’t leave with a fully stuffed stomach which isn’t necessarily a bad thing 😛

Would also like to wish Garfield Happy Birthday again and hope you liked the Peanut Butter Chocolate cake I made for you ~ It’s really nice to still keep in touch with you guys! I miss those High School days!

Thai Style Afternoon Tea – Mango Tree

Hello everyone! I’m back in Melbourne 🙂 Two weeks has just whizzed past! It doesn’t even feel like I was away for that long. We arrived early Monday, and immediately went to work, even though I was working from home had quite a few things to do and then went back to the office the next day. And to make things even more hectic, it was Mr Bao and my 4th year anniversary ~ we’re still a little jet-lagged so we just had a simple dinner to celebrate and gonna do something on the weekend to make up for it.

Mango Tree

So once again I’m sorry for the lack of posts, but give me a little more time and i’ll be back on track! So I have so many places I’d love to blog about, but I don’t have the time, so I thought this short afternoon post will be great ~ It’s actually quite interesting because it’s a Thai-inspired afternoon tea!

It was my last couple of days in Hong Kong, and my sister Macy wanted to have afternoon tea with my before I left. I was really surprised and impressed when she suggested Mango Tree, because she usually isn’t the foodie and quite honestly doesn’t really like food 😛 Mango Tree has been on my list for quite some time, since it came to Hong Kong last year. It originates from Bangkok and I heard it’s quite famous there too ~

Thai Style Afternoon Tea for 2 $468 plus 10%

We decided to order the Deluxe High Tea set for two, which came with a 3-tier stand and two drinks. I couldn’t stop staring at the stand when the waitress placed it down on our table. I have never had a Thai style afternoon tea and was still expecting scones and jams 😛 Instead it was replaced with Thai steamed cakes.

Large King prawns, Pandan chicken and prawn crackers

Starting with the bottom layer, there’s two large king prawns which was chargrilled with a great smokey flavour and the meat was juicy and sweet. Poor Win Win she was so jealous when she saw the photo because she really likes prawns ~ It also had pandan chicken that was flavoursome and prawn crackers with a pork filling that was quite spicy.

Green papaya salad, grapefruit salad and rice paper rolls

In the middle, it was all salad veggie based dishes, the large bowl was a green papaya salad with a peeled prawn, one of my favourite, but it was too spicy for Macy and Mr Bao. So I basically had both bowls hehe, the grapefruit salad topped with a little piece of crab meat was milder in flavour and refreshing. The rice paper rolls in the middle had avocado, mango and cucumber filling, unfortunately we found it a little bland.

3 different sauces

Glad the afternoon tea came with 3 different sauces, first one that was more sour than spicy, the middle was a sweeter honey type sauce and the last one was a sweet chilli sauce 🙂

Desserts – steamed pandan cake, mango cheesecake and steamed coconut cake

The top layer was all Thai desserts YAY! My favourite would have to be the steamed coconut cake with a sweet corn filling at the bottom if you like coconut you will like this! Steamed pandan cake reminded me of the Malaysian kueh cakes flavours were subtle and really like the texture. There was also a mango cheesecake paired with fresh mango, cheesecake was rich and had a firm texture, but what we liked the most was the super sweet fresh mangoes.

Mixed satays $140 plus 10% service charge

Because Mr Bao joined us for afternoon tea we decided to add the mixed satays (pork, chicken and beef) they were piping hot and fresh, I particularly liked the peanut sauce hmmm wish I could have had more!

Fresh Young Coconut (included in afternoon tea)

Macy and I both ordered the Fresh Young Coconut, it was an extremely hot and humid day over at least 30 degrees, so a young coconut was so freshly and definitely quenched my thirst. I also love scooping the meat inside 😀 Do you do that too?

Lychee Mojito $95 plus 10% service charge

Mr Bao felt like a lychee mojito, it was quite strong but still sweet enough from the lychee liquor, however, he felt that there was a little too much mint and overpowered the drink.

Overall, we all really enjoyed the afternoon tea here, it’s a good change from the traditional afternoon teas and it offered more savoury options which was another bonus for Mr Bao. Would definitely recommend this afternoon tea to anyone who likes Thai food and wants something different ~ I’m looking forward to coming back to Mango Tree next time and trying their dinner dishes.

Mango Tree
Shop 2032, Elements,
1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, HK
PH: +852 2668 4884
Email: enquiry@mangotree.com.hk

Who is your – Mr Nice Guy?

Do you know someone who you consider to be Mr Nice Guy? 🙂 Someone that is always nice, friendly and helpful? I think I’ve been very lucky and have met many Mr Nice Guys and Ladies ~ but one person that springs into mind would be Garfield (not his real name hehe) an old friend from High School. He was always the one to save my from my klutzy accidents, solve my computer issues and tell me nicely that car wont start because I had put it in neutral 😛

Last week Mr Bao and I paid the brand new cafe Mr Nice Guy a visit on their 4th day of operating ~ I had been following the development and renovations on Instagram and very excited that they finally opened up.

Do the chairs and deco look familiar? 🙂 Remember my recent post about Thai brunch at Middle Fish? Yup that’s right it’s by the same team ~ They have ventured out of Carlton and started up Mr Nice Guy on Healey’s lane another one of Melbourne’s hidden laneways. I had promised Siriporn and David that we will visit them soon, so immediately went there when we had the chance hehe

As soon as we walked in, we were warmly welcomed by Siriporn she is one of the friendliest and energetic person you will meet 😀 It was relatively quiet that morning so we were given a nice spacious table at the back facing the kitchen and could see the chef and staff working like busy bees ~ Siriporn then told me she named the new cafe ‘Mr Nice Guy’ because that’s what she use to call her Fiance when they first started going out ~

Siriporn said they will be placing more focus on coffees here and the beans will also be provided by Proud Mary. Mr Bao was excited because Proud Mary is one of his favourite coffee suppliers in Melbourne ~ He’s really become quite the coffee snob!

Latte

Mr Bao’s usual latte, he described that it was a very good temperature not too hot with a mild citrusy flavour which was very well balanced.

Latte

Sorry but I don’t have the prices for the coffees, my latte was just was definitely welcomed that morning, I was rather sleepy. Like Middle Fish, the menu at Mr Nice Guy offers western breakfast options and also Thai dishes, Siriporn said that they have brought the most popular dishes ~

Mr Nice Guy’s Egg Benedict with Home-smoked bacon, Sriracha Hollandaise, Poached eggs $16

But something that is very different here at Mr Nice Guy is that they try to make everything from scratch. For instance, their Egg Benedict uses their own home-smoked bacon with Sriracha hollandaise and of course poached eggs. The eggs were really cute as they were quite small but still ooey gooey inside, the home-smoked bacon was a thicker cut and was full of flavour but didn’t have that overpowering taste. Sriracha hollandaise sauce was a clever idea because it gave it a bit of kick. My only complaint wanted more of everything 😀

Home-smoked lemongrass cured salmon, scramble eggs and coconut reduction with toast $17.5

We then ordered the home-smoked lemongrass cured salmon with scramble eggs and coconut reduction. The salmon tasted like it was between sashi and smoked salmon 🙂 The scrambled eggs was smooth and silky and Mr Bao said it might have been cooked with some coconut as he could taste it. My favourite was definitely the coconut reduction, it was so rich and intense coconut flavour. Immediately thought of Gem (Cupcake Crazy Gem) I could have ate it by the spoonful.

Baked eggs, oven dried tomato, bean and capsicum puree $15.5

We were already pretty full but Siriporn ordered  the baked eggs vegetarian dish with oven dried tomato, white beans and capsicum puree for us. Even though there wasn’t any meat this dish was very tasty and definitely comforting ~

Will’s Coconut pancake, smoked pineapple, lemongrass sugar and condensed milk $14.5

I really enjoyed the roti dessert at Middle Fish last time, so knew these coconut pancakes were going to be delicious. These pancakes were dense with a moist centre and were more like hot cakes which I really like. The lemongrass sugar was the best and complimented the pancakes very well. There was more of that amazing coconut reduction and to finish off condense milk ~

Hot Chocolate from Mork

Siriporn also thought I might like to try their hot chocolate from Mork Chocolate, it was a rather light tasting hot chocolate and not sweet enough for me hehe but great for those who are looking for a hot chocolate thats not too rich ~

Macarons – Asian flavours

Hahaha I couldn’t stop laughing when Siriporn said “You are the Queen of Desserts, I follow your Instagram! Try these macarons!”. I was surprised to see that Mr Nice Guy not only sells their in house made muffins but also macarons. They’re also Asian-inspired flavours – Thai Milk Tea, Lychee, Chocolate, Mango, Passionfruit and Caramel. Siriporn said she’s wanted to sell macarons for a long time, but wasn’t able to find a suitable supplier. These macarons are actually made by a Medical student who bakes them on the weekend 🙂 They were very well made, great shell with good feet and texture, I was also impressed with the filing. Our favourite were definitely the Thai Milk tea and the mango, they’re not common flavours and it didn’t taste artificial. I’m excited that they now sell them, definitely need to go back and get some more!

Mr Nice Guy did not disappoint us 🙂 It offers delicious and affordable Thai dishes and will also be opening for dinner service Wednesday through to Saturday ~ Compared to Middle Fish it offers more stir fried dishes such as Pad Thai and Fried Rice. But still remains the same friendly and casual atmosphere ~ We’re looking forward to come back for dinner and try their new dishes.

My Mr Nice Guy 🙂

And just before I go, Garfield is still a nice guy but Mr Bao is now my Mr Nice Guy 😀 Meaning he’s the poor fella that has to put up with me 24/7 😛

Daisy and Mr Bao @NeverTooSweet dined at Mr Nice Guy at a discounted price 

Brunching Thai Style – Middle Fish

Growing up what did you have for breakfast? 🙂 For me, I would go through phases of having Coco Pops and milk, bacon and eggs and occasionally Mum will make or buy more Hong Kong style breakfast like congee, Chu Cheong Fun (rice noodle rolls) or ham and macaroni in a chicken broth. A while ago Mr Bao and I felt like brunch that day, we wanted something a little different and that’s how we ended up at Middle Fish ~

I’d been following their Instagram account for a while and her photos always makes me crave Thai food, I have also read that so many of my food blogger friends have visited and enjoyed it. Middle Fish is easy to miss as it’s on a quiet street in Carlton, but if you know where Seven Seeds cafe is, you’ll find Middle Fish next to it 😀

It’s a fairly large space with a warehouse fitting, I liked how spacious it was and also the retro looking tables and chairs they used. I know they also rent out their space for private events and functions, it’s actually a really good idea and has given me ideas for my birthday next year hehehe

It was relatively quiet when we visited so we got to pick a nice table at the back with great lighting 🙂 Realised they constantly change their menu, I wasn’t sure what to expect, after having a quick look I settled with the omelette.

Middle Fish crunchy mussel omelette $16.50

This is the Middle Fish famous crunchy mussel omelette with spring onions and sri ra cha sauce. It was super crunchy and and quite airy with a generous amount of mussels. It reminded me of the Taiwanese omelette (蚵仔煎), however, that is made of oysters instead. I actually think the mussels were nicer as they provide a sweeter taste as opposed to the metal taste oysters can some times give off ~ I’m also in love with the sri ra cha sauce as well super hot and addictive.

Thai congee with pork spare ribs $13.50

I recently watched Marion’s Thailand a new cook show and learnt that it’s actually quite common for Thai people to eat congee in the morning, very similar to Chinese people ~ Mr Bao felt like something lighter that morning and chose the congee with soft poached egg, fresh herbs and spiced pork spare ribs. He found the congee to be thicker than our Chinese congee with a slight spiciness. The pork ribs were tender and delicious. He also liked the idea of the soft poached egg in the congee and we might put one in next time we make a congee at home. His only complaint was he found the congee a little lukewarm, we’re not sure if this is how the Thai like it but he’s just not use to it 🙂

Caramelised banana roti with summer berries, coconut ice-cream and maple syrup $11.50

Still feeling a little peckish, of course I ordered dessert 😀 We got the caramelised banana roti with summer berries, coconut ice-cream and maple syrup. It totally MADE MY DAY! The roti was super fresh and still piping hot, the banana were sweet and warm but what topped it off was the coconut ice-cream! It divine just like you were eating a fresh coconut super smooth too! Oh and lets not forget the maple syrup which I could have done with some more but that’s just me ~

Deserves another photo 🙂

We washed all that food down with some refreshing ice cold drinks ~ I chase the Thai Milk Tea as that’s my favourite Thai drink. I could have drank this all day long, it had the perfect balance of ceylon tea and then sweetened with condense milk. Just remember to drink it as soon as you get it because the ice can dilute the drink 😛

Thai iced milk tea $4.50

Mr Bao chose the Thai iced coffee which reminded us very much of the Vietnamese ice coffee, but had a lighter coffee flavour and felt more refreshing ~

Thai iced coffee $4.50

We thoroughly our Thai brunch at Middle Fish all dishes were cooked very well and we felt that it was quite authentic, when compared to the dishes I had in Bangkok last time I visited ~ Service was friendly and efficient which is always a bonus. I also spoke to the owner and she said that they are now in the process of obtaining council permits to open Middle Fish at night for dinner service. I can’t wait for when they open for dinner as well, it’ll be a great spot to have dinner and also imagine the Thai curries they will serve 🙂