Thai Wi Rat

Bean and I used to work in the same organisation and after accepting new positions, we realised that we work within walking distance of each other so agreed to meet for lunch in ChinaTown Mall. Tasty, budget friendly food was on the top of our agenda so we decided to settle on Thai Wi Rat. Thai Wi Rat doesn't look impressive from the outside but once you order at the counter, the service is brisk and the tables are clean. I actually find it quite pleasant to dine outside as you can enjoy the mall's water feature.

Bean decided to order a Thai Green Curry with some steamed rice. It was a good portion size and contained a variety of vegetables and slices of chicken. Also most importantly the sauce to rice ratio was right.

I know it isn't traditional but I am rather fond of Chicken Pad Thai and I was extremely happy with my dish. The noodles were wonderfully textured, the chicken was tender, sauce was flavoursome and the bean sprouts were a lovely accent. I polished off the lot and felt over full as ambled back to my desk. But I still hope that I will repeat this journey again in the near future.

Rating: 3 out of 5.
Address: 48 Duncan Street, Fortitude Valley, QLD 4005.
Open: 10am - 9pm. 7 days a week.
Phone: (07) 3257 0884.
Price: Entree: $5.50 - $8.90. Main: $9.90 - $16.90.

Tosakan Thai Restaurant

Within walking distance from Chermside Shopping and across the road from Kedron Wavell Services Club is Chermside's latest dining offering, Tosakan Thai Restaurant. Named after the giant king with ten faces from the ancient Sanskrit epic, Ramayana. The King saw far beyond with his ten pairs of eyes, with his ten faces he was able to immerse himself in knowledge and he hid his heart inside a box to become immortal.

You begin your journey at Tosakan Thai Restaurant with your very own Tosakan's heart box in the form of a bright yellow napkin, folded like a lily. This brightly coloured decoration was lovely behold and both Amy and I were pleased to note the interior was modern, offered a direct view into the kitchen and utilised warm brown tones. I know, a Thai restaurant where you weren't suffocated by pastel mauve! You're probably as shocked as I am. We started with entree size serving of Tom Yum Goong. This is a traditional spicy Thai soup with prawns and flavoured with chili, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves. The prawns were fresh, deveined and cooked to perfection. The soup was flavoursome but we felt had been slightly over seasoned with salt.

However if there was an outstanding dish this evening, it was the Massamun Beef Curry. This dish had generous chunks of potato and butter soft beef, immersed in creamy coconut milk based sauce and delicate strands of caramelised onion. It was gorgeous.

Our third selection was a Chicken Pad Thai. The thin noodles had soaked up the flavour of the peanut based sauce. The chicken was moist and the dish contained a good balance of egg, ground peanuts, bean curd and bean sprouts.

By this point Amy and I were both feeling rather full but we couldn't leave without trying a dessert and we decided to share the Black Sticky Rice with Coconut Cream and Vanilla Ice Cream. The rice a gorgeous texture which was complimented by the coconut cream. So Tosakan Thai Restaurant? It offers a beautifully appointed space, presents you with a story, provides you with friendly service and best of all the food delivers.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Address: 23 Playfield Street, Chermside, QLD 4032.
Open: Monday - Friday. 11am - 10:30pm. Saturday - Sunday. 5pm - 10.30pm.
Phone: (07) 3350 5371
Price: Entrees: $7.00. Main: $14.90 - $25.90. Dessert: $7.00.