After a very
welcome dose of summer rain, the Canberra evening was cool and fresh - a balmy
17oC (3.8oC above the January monthly average). Could we have picked a better night for
dinner at the open-fronted Chong Cho Thai restaurant in Woden? Clearly most of Canberra didn’t think so
because we arrived to find the restaurant very crowded.
Squeezing
through the densely packed tables, we headed to the only empty table in the
restaurant – a good size one in a back corner.
It seemed a little quieter there - more the level of an “energetic buzz”
than “I can’t hear myself think”. If
truth be known, most of the discernible noise may even have been our own lively
chatter because as the restaurant started to empty, we didn’t notice it getting
any quieter.
Despite (or
perhaps because of) this, the restaurant has a pleasant al fresco ambiance. The
service was also efficient and friendly.
It is therefore not surprising that it is a popular lunch time
destination for workers in the Woden area. Would it work just as well as a
dinner venue? We were about to find out.
The menu
wasn’t particularly extensive. There
were a limited number of traditional Thai dishes in the main menu (such as Pad
Thai and green chicken curry) and hints of more modern Thai cuisine in the
signature dishes (lamb shank massaman curry and lamb cutlet with chilli and
basil). We chose a mix of dishes from
both parts of the menu opting for the salmon green curry and Massaman lamb
shank curry from the signature dishes and crispy soft shell crab with tamarind
sauce, a mixed seafood lemongrass, duck salad and a cashew nut tofu/vegetarian
stir fry from the main menu.
Both the
signature and main menu dishes came out beautifully presented with a modern
flourish. The Massaman curry, for
example, had a (vertical) lamb shank surrounded by a sea of curried sauce
topped with a decorative coconut swirl (very reminiscent of latte art). Most of the other dishes featured a colourful
side salad and a wonderful array of carved vegetables. Andrew felt that this approach became
formulaic when repeated over a number of dishes. The decorative elements also took up space on
the plate leaving less room for the main component of the dish. This meant that portion sizes were
comparatively small making it difficult to share the dish among a larger group.
The problem was particularly noticeable
in the mixed seafood dish where we needed to divide 2 prawns, 2 scallops, 2
calamari and 2 mussels among 7 people – an impossible task.
Our
favourite dish of the night was the crispy soft shell crab which received
consistently high marks from everyone. The crab was beautifully cooked in a
light and crispy batter and although the sauce was quite sweet (and very
similar to the cashew nut stir fry sauce), it matched the dish well. The other dish that scored well (at least for
the guys) was the massaman lamb curry with its tender, fall-off- the- bone
meat.
Our least
favourite dish of the night was dessert (I never thought we’d ever say
that!). We chose the sticky rice and
banana in a banana leaf but found no banana leaf and hardly any sticky
rice. The small amount of sticky rice in the dish was
combined with banana into a bland and gelatinous patty which was then served
with a dollop of cream and ice cream. In
terms of taste, texture and presentation, it was disappointing.
Dish
|
Rating
(mark/10)
|
Ranking*
|
||||||
Andrew
|
John
|
Jim
|
Karen
|
Megan
|
Ron
|
Average
|
||
Green Salmon Curry
|
7.5
|
6
|
8
|
6
|
6
|
7
|
6.75
|
5
|
Lamb Shank Massaman
|
8
|
8
|
8
|
7
|
5
|
8
|
7.3
|
2
|
Vegetarian Cashew nut Stir Fry
|
NR
|
6
|
7
|
7
|
6
|
7
|
6.6
|
6
|
Duck Salad
|
6
|
6
|
8
|
7
|
8
|
7
|
7
|
Equal 3/4
|
Crispy Soft shell crab with tamarind sauce
|
8
|
7
|
7
|
8
|
8
|
7
|
7.5
|
1
|
Mixed seafood lemon grass
|
NR
|
6
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
8
|
7
|
Equal 3/4
|
Dessert (banana and sticky rice)
|
NR
|
4
|
5
|
3
|
NR
|
5
|
4.25
|
7
|
*dishes
ranked according to average scores
