Thai Town, QV

Inflation has dropped two months in a row! I have noticed a drop in the prices of some produce during grocery shopping and in some restaurants but on the whole, the average price is still much higher than pre-Covid prices. These days when I dine out, affordability and value for money is at the forefront of my mind, much more than before. 

My friend and I decided to try Thai Town in QV for dinner. She loves to eat the more exotic parts of the animal, like innards and blood. This was a dish she ordered - Deep Fried Pork Intestine ($14.90). The intestine was dry and crispy after deep frying. It comes with a spicy sauce which helps to 'rehydrate' the dish but it is not my favourite dish. 

We ordered the pork mince basil stir fry ($21) which comes on a giant platter. It is enough for three people but there is only 2 fried eggs. Pad Kra Pao is one of my favourite Thai dishes - it is easy to eat, delicious and a homey kind of comfort food for me. It was a struggle to finish the mountain of rice, so in the end we had to leave some behind. I would not have minded a little bit more chillies, which you can always request more on the side.

Thai Town is a very busy place, and ordering is through QR codes. The seats and tables are small and uncomfortable for anything other than a quick chow so if you plan on staying long then this is not the place. There is a glass case out at the front displaying the many Thai desserts available for sale, coconut and pandan being the usual ingredients. There is also a Thai grocery store and street food across from Thai Town that sells more of the same desserts. 

Six 62, Camberwell

The other day, someone sent me a link to a 2 week wellness retreat on a farm. One can participate in yoga, meditation, cow milking, tree hugging, ayurvedic cooking and arts and crafts. It sounds intriguing, but I'm not sure if it's my cup of cow milk. We enjoyed a night out at Six62 restaurant in Camberwell while discussing about the retreat.

Tempura haloumi with honey ($17). But what if the cow I milked was used to make the cheese in this dish? Would it taste extra delicious? The savoury of the cheese in this dish paired with honey is already delicious. There is also dried figs on the side and sprinkles of sesame seeds. I saw a YouTube recipe for pizza drizzled with cheese which I am going to try, since this worked quite well. 

I am not sure if the retreat sounds relaxing to me. If I have to do my own cooking and get my own beverage, it probably isn't. 

Our second dish was grilled octopus with pepperonata and salsa verde ($28). The octopus did not have enough smoky smell, though I can see the char marks. The peppers were nice though. 

Our third dish was chorizo al vino tinto ($26). It came with grilled bread which was nicely grilled but the chorizo again did not have enough smoky flavour.

The main dish was hanging pork skewer with apricot agrodolce ($36). At the bottom of the dish, there was an array of veges like potatoes, pepper and onions. The veges were delicious but the pork was not seasoned and lacked some taste. I did not care for the apricot sauce but people who do not mind the mix of sweet sauce and savoury food like lemon chicken or apricot chicken might like it. 

The service was very good, and the food came out quickly. At the end of the meal, we went to pay and discovered (too late) that we were charged a double serve of Aperol when we had only ordered one. Not a frequent consumer of aperitifs, I had no idea what a single or a double looks like. The drink came in wine glass with ice and a straw. Is that a double serve? I don't know. They should have told me that only double serves were allowed, especially if I hadn't ordered it and there is no mention on the menu that double serves were even available. 

This restaurant has an extensive drinks list, full with all kinds of cocktails, beer, wine etc. The food menu is limited, mostly tapas type food. We will probably skip this restaurant because the focus of the restaurant seem to be on alcoholic drinks, and because of the issue with our drinks. 

 Update: This restaurant has permanently closed as at Dec 23