First of all, when you go to a thai restaurant, do order coconut rice instead of plain steamed rice. It’s really worth the extra 50c p/p or whatever they charge. Trust me.

Tom Kha (Chicken) - Instead of ordering Tom Yum, this was quite a delightful change. Whilst not overly spicy, the chicken was still juicy, and the soup was quite aromatic and had plenty of flavour - you could really taste the lemongrass!

Tod Mun (Fish Cakes) - I don’t think there’s a time i’ve been to Shallot Thai where I haven’t ordered these little delights. Unlike the (expensive) frozen Thai fish cakes you can buy which are borderline tasteless, I think they make these themselves - probably using the owner’s grandmothers’ hand-me-down recipe. Yum! Also you can dip it into the home made sweet chilli sauce for even more flavour.

Golden Bags - More home made sweet chilli sauce, and a different type of nibbley. Crunchy on the outside, but tasty and juicy on the inside. I have no idea how they manage to tie that knot and still keep everything in tact, i’ve tried to replicate them at home and failed miserably! I prefer ordering these rather than spring rolls, even though the filling is similar.

Neur Nam Tok (Thai Salad) - This was a very refreshing dish which complimented our other choices well. Strong flavours of lime and chilli added to the stirfried beef’s own flavour, combined with the rest of the ingredients. Highly recommended.

Pad Thai (Prawn) - Lots of prawns were distributed through the noodles, so after dividing the dish into four, we had a couple each. The noodles weren’t overcooked and didn’t turn to glug, and there was quite a balanced flavour throughout.

Pad Pong Kari - This was the one dish we were a bit apprehensive on ordering, mainly as the base was curry powder - not something overly common in Thai cuisine. I think you could definitely replicate this one at home, but in saying that - it’s not a compliment. The dish was well cooked with a generous serving of seafood, but the overall curry taste a bit gritty/powdery and wasn’t overly inviting. That said, I am a lover of coconut based curry sauces, so I may be showing a hint of bias.

Gaeng Massamun (Beef) - Although this one lost points in the presentation department, it more than sufficiently made up for it in the taste. I can’t convey how rich this curry was.. they must have simmered it for ages. The beef was nice and tender, and fell apart with little effort. At the end of the meal I used some extra rice to soak up the leftover curry - waste not want not!

Bualoy - Whilst sounding good on the menu and looking exquisite when they arrived, major points were lost when we actually tasted our desserts. I could taste the sweet coconut milk, as well as chunks of something dry and chewy. That’s all…

Bualoy Num Khing - If i’d had a blindfold test when I tasted this one, I would have just described them as ‘chewy balls of something in sugar syrup’. Sadly, they were just nondescript. Sugary, sure, but the other flavours?… Dunno…

Glouy Tod - Ending the dinner on a low note, I could not understand WHY my ice cream was served with the hideous raspberry topping. I think the last place that served me raspberry topping ice cream was when I went to dinner with mum and dad… when I was about 11 y.o.

The bananas were just tasteless mush in more tasteless mush white steamed pastry or whatever it was - garnished with parsley?! We didn’t even bother finishing this one.

If we hadn’t eaten dessert, i’d rate Shallot Thai at 4 stars, but they lost a half star for those.

I definitely recommend visiting Shallot Thai for some really good Thai food, but hold off on the dessert - A short drive will take you to Chapel St, where you could get a coffee and one of those sinful desserts from Cafe Greco.