Meal #9 - Northern Thailand

No trip to Thailand would be complete without a visit to the country’s north, famous for its temples, friendly locals and spectacular mountain scenery. Nor could a culinary tour of the world be complete without sampling northern Thailand’s unique cuisine, which we sought this week at Lanna Thai.

Lanna Thai
Licensed and BYO, eat in or takeaway
287 Exhibition St
Melbourne

According to the menu, Lanna Thai takes its name from an independent Northern Thai kingdom of the sixteenth century. A large group hoped to be ‘brought closer to the majesty of the Old Times’ through Lanna Thai’s authentic Thai cuisine, with diners this week including Paul, Deb, Caroline, Rami, Marty, Helen, Naomi, Nick, Sai and Dom. The group also hoped to discover many kosher, vegetarian and lactose free dishes, as well as to “inquire about [Lanna Thai’s] gluten free option”[sic].

The décor of Lanna Thai displayed inconsistent echoes of Thailand. The gold Thai mirrors, quilted tapestries and gleaming gilt carp on the walls were somewhat cheapened by wooden painted ducks, faded pictures of Thai dignitaries and the paper table covers. Nor was the Old Time majesty reflected in the “toilet code” boldly printed on wine lists and menus. You couldn’t get into the restrooms without it, so the staff recommended diners take the menu with them. To peruse in majesty on the throne perhaps?

Nonetheless, the staff were friendly and with a separate room and a couple of bottles of wine everyone was soon enjoying themselves. Due to the size of the group, we again chose to order seperately and share the dishes around.

Entrée

Hed Choob Pang Tod - Deep fried mushrooms with sweet chilli sauce.
Taw Hu Tod - Deep fried bean curd with sweet chilli sauce and crushed peanuts.
Yum Hoy Nang Rom - Tasmanian rock oysters with special Thai sauce.
Curry Puffs - Thai style curry puffs filled with minced chicken, sweet potato, onion, herbs and curry powder, served with sweet chilli sauce.

Mains

Soup

Tom Yum - Tom Yum style soup with lemongrass, lime juice, chilli and prawns.

Curries

Gang Panang Curry - A rich red curry with fresh basil and lime leaves, with chicken.
Gang Mussaman - A mild curry with lamb, coconut milk, potato and peanuts.
Gang Kiew Warn - Green curry with seafood, coconut milk and green curry paste.

Charcoal Grilled

Nuer Yang - Thai style barbequed beef marinated with soy sauce and pepper, served with sweet vinegar chilli sauce.
Moo Yang - Thai style barbecued pork marinated with honey, garlic, coriander and pepper, served with sweet vinegar chilli sauce.

Seafood Special

Pla Pae Sah - Rainbow Trout, steamed with ginger, mushroom and coriander, served in a special fish warmer.
Pudd Rummit Talay - Combined seafood with vegetables in oyster sauce.

Stir Fried

Pudd Ped - Vegetable stirfry with red curry paste and sweet basil, with chicken.

Entrée:

The oysters in chilli sauce were happily received and the bean curd, although visually reminiscent of potato wedges, was light and pleasant. Some confusion over our orders meant we were waiting for our deep fried mushrooms and when they arrived they proved to be just that – champignons in thick fish’n’chip shop style batter. It was all tasty enough but nothing worth hiking from Bangkok to Chiang Mai for.

Mains:

The mains were more impressive, albeit universally sweet; not quite the bitter and sour affair we were expecting. Curries were popular, mild on chilli but with a rich coconut flavour, a surprise standout being the potato element of the Gang Mussaman. The rich red curries were also quick to disappear.


A number of char-grilled dishes also featured on the menu and appeared to be a northern specialty. These were tasty, although some diners found the marinades overpoweringly sweet.


Possibly the favourite were the seafood dishes, gorgeously served in their ‘special fish warmers’ (ie fish-shaped bowls). The whole Rainbow Trout looked particularly impressive, and was a huge serving for the price! The ginger marinade was complemented by a hint of plum, and the fish itself was cooked to perfection.


Throughout the meal we were served generously with rice, although being in a separate room put us a bit out of way for the staff and our water glasses frequently went unfilled. The complimentary fruit platters served to finish the meal were a refreshing touch.


Overall:

Lanna Thai is a decent restaurant, though we were disappointed with the limited range of specifically northern dishes. The menu had a few regional additions, like larb and the char-grilled dishes, but was otherwise similar to what you could expect from any mainstream Thai restaurant. If the traditional pork and lime sausage, hot and sour sauces and other northern specialties we had read about are to be found in Melbourne, they are not at Lanna Thai, although the CBD location may incline the restaurant toward more mainstream tastes. That said the service was pleasant and the menu had plenty of options for vegetarians and those with special dietary requirements. While not as unique as we’d hoped, at $20-$25 per person, the meal was reasonably sized and enjoyable eating.