Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Suwan Thai Restaurant

Level 1, Galleria 33
Salamanca Place HOBART
P: 03 6224 4618


After our meal in Launceston the stakes were raised pretty high for our eating in Hobart. On the recommendation of the lovely Rebecca in our hotel bar we found our way to Suwan. Don't let the entrance fool you, this place is worth a visit.


First entree was goong nang mai, or BBQ prawns with hot chilli garlic sauce. I'm not a big fan of prawns, but these were apparently very good.


Second entree: goong hom pha. Also known as deep fried king prawns wrapped with golden brown pastry served with sweet chilli sauce. These were also, apparently, very good.


Another entree - satay beef strips. I found the satay to be VERY mild, but the flavours were lovely, the meat was moist, and I'd happily have had a meal just of these.


B ordered the yum nur a salad of sliced rump beef cooked in lime juice, cucumber, tomato and chilli) as an entree. This was lovely, but so incredibly spicy!


On to mains. We all ordered our preference and shared - it's the best way to eat. B ordered this gem, which I think was pad talay: stir fried mixed seafood with garlic, spring onions, chilli and sweet basil leaves. I left the seafood along but sampled some of the vegies - lovely.


Of course I had the massamun. It came out in a cute little pot with a tea light candle underneath to keep it bubbling. The beef was in tender strips rather than the chunks I'm used to, and there wasn't much potato. It was a little too mild for my taste, but still had good flavours. While this isn't the best massamun I've ever had, it was still very nice.


One of the specials on the night was duck curry with lychees, grapes... I don't really remember the dish exactly, but it was surprisingly good. Again it was a very mild dish.


The beef with cashews was exactly how I like it - good simple flavours, tender beef. Yum.

We washed this down with a rather good bottle of red (a 2006 grenache shiraz mourvedre, "The Stump Jump" from McLaren Vale).

We each ordered an entree and a main, and yet we barely made a dent in the options available on the menu. My writing this evening really doesn't do the meal justice. I'll blame 2 days of training and 2 exams for my lack of verbal flair.

If you're in Hobart and want some nice Thai cuisine, head for Suwan. But you might want to make a booking - this place seems to be VERY popular.

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