Pad Thai Restaurant – There’s More to Pad Thai

Green Curry Friend Rice

Menu:

I am a huge fan of Thai food – from the spiciness to the distinct Thai flavours – with Pad Thai being one of my all time favourite dishes. When I discovered that there was a restaurant conveniently located in the Melbourne CBD called Pad Thai Restaurant I simply had to try it out.

Pad Thai Restaurant was name simply because most Australians are familiar with the popular Thai dish as well wanting to showcase variations to the traditional Pad Thai that people are used to. Instead of focussing on a large range of dishes, their main focus is on to deliver other popular Thai dishes and do them really well, all whilst bringing you the real authentic taste of Thai food.

There are three different types of Pad Thai to choose from – Sen Jan (Rice Stick Noodle), Kiew Krob (Fried Wonton) and Voon Sen (Glass Noodle). The rest of the menu compromises of other noodle dishes, Thai Noodle Soup, Rice and Fried Rice, Curries, Small Bites and a Large Variety of Salads as well as Thai’s All Time Favourites – which include Suki Dry/Wet, Pla Too Nam Prik Krapi and Khao Pad Nahm.
The menu has pictures which show some of the dishes that you can order, along with a chilli indicator to notify patrons of how hot a dish is.

I wanted to order something other than a Pad Thai and therefore ordered the Green Curry Fried Rice – Fried Rice with Green Curry Paste, Green Beans and Sweet Basil Leaves – Extra Spicy. The serving sizes are quite generous and I struggled to finish my one serve. The dish was visually pleasing and had the perfect amount of vegetables to rice combination. The flavour was just what I was expecting – the green curry paste laced through the rice with the vegetables cooked just how I liked it and the basil leaves finishing off the Thai flavours.

A perfect lunch venue in my opinion – great service and the food is brought out in a quick timeframe for those who want a quick lunch break. The place itself is located in the food court area and has many different seating options available, both inside the venue and just outside.

Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Refer to the pictures above
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Laid back and Relaxed
Service: Friendly and Quick
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://padthairestaurant.com.au/
246 Bourke St, Melbourne
Tel No: 9639 6868

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 11:00 am – 7:00pm
Saturday: 11:00am – 6.30pm
Sunday: 11:00am – 6:00pm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pad-Thai-Restaurant-Melbourne/372153372522
Instagram: padthaieatery

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Hobba: Eatery & Bar – Beautiful Fresh Dishes

    

Hobba: Eatery & Bar is located in Prahran and is housed in a once old tire factory, owned by Gerrick Numan, and joined by Simon McNamara and chef Josh Powell. Hobba has so much light and maintains its warehouse style and creates a relaxed atmosphere for its guests. I later also discovered that there is a giant tree which grows in the middle of the space through a table. Very interesting indeed! The restaurant space is open with high ceilings and exposed brick walls, and booths are made out of timber and have comfortable cushion seats.

I arrived before the rest of the group (there was going to be four of us) and was told that there would be a 15 minute wait for a table. (This was on Christmas Eve day by the way). However, there was a table much sooner and after about 5-7 minutes I was seated at a table. I was asked immediately if I wanted a coffee and was given water and the menu. As my friends hadn’t arrived yet I had plenty of time to have a look at their menu, and discovered that they Hobba now did dinner service – only on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. They had a sample menu on the back of the Breakfast and Lunch menu (refer to the first thumbnail above) – and the food looked and sounded delicious. I made a mental note to definitely come back at dinner time.

The menu has a breakfast and lunch menu. The Breakfast menu is available all day, and there are a selection of sandwiches available from 10:30am. The menu consists of the general loved classic dishes such as toast with jam, muesli, eggs and omelettes, but what stands out about this place is the dishes that won’t find anywhere else – such as the Grilled asparagus, hazelnut crumbs, horseradish panna cotta & poached egg and the bubble and squeak dish.

I ordered the Grilled Asparagus dish and when the dish came out it was plated so beautifully. It is one of the best presented breakfast dishes I have had. The horseradish panna cotta made the dish look like a dessert dish. The asparagus was blanched and flavoured just perfectly. The poached egg…oh the poached egg – cooked to absolute perfection at 62.5 degrees and was runny and gooey and had such a light casing of the white. This mixed together with the hazelnut crumb added texture to the dish, and made for a winning combination. An addition I would have liked is a piece of sour dough bread to soak up that delicious runny egg.

A ordered the Bubble and Squeak dish and that too was presented in a great fashion – with the hollandaise sauce on the bottom and then the bubble and squeak placed on top with another layer atop of fried egg and bacon. V ordered the French Toast with banana creme fraiche which she thoroughly enjoyed. Banana Creme Fraiche is something that you wouldn’t find in many places and the macadamia crumble is another exotic addition. L had the Hobba breakfast which was quite decently sized and comes with tomato, bacon, sausage and eggs. The coffees here are pretty spot on as well and taste creamy and rich and are from Five Senses.

The atmosphere is laid back and relaxing and its a great place for a casual catchup. Hobba is great for all types of people and great for families as well. There are mini board games for the kiddies. I wonder what the atmosphere would be like for the dinner service. The space is really funky and trendy. Definitely will be back for more of the breakfast meals as well as for the dinner. It is on my highly recommended list when people ask me where they should go for brunch.

Open to the street and with a whacking great tree thrown in the middle of the lofty ex-tyre fitting garage, it almost feels like you’re eating al fresco – and who doesn’t love the feel of the morning breeze through their cereal? The atmosphere is pretty laid back, which is exactly what owner Gerrick Numan, and Powell were aiming for with their amusing pledge to under-promise, and over-deliver. They wanted the sort of place where they themselves would go to relax – which of course meant having the kind of food that they would want to eat.

Rating : 4.5 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – Breakfast / Lunch Menu – http://www.hobba.com.au/Hobba/BreakfastLunch.html, Dinner Menu – http://www.hobba.com.au/Hobba/Dinner.html
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual, Relaxed and great for a Sunday afternoon.
Standout Dish:
Service: Friendly and Attentive
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://www.hobba.com.au/Hobba/Home.html
428 Malvern Road, Prahran
Tel No: 9510 8336

Opening Hours:
Monday to Wednesday: 7am to 5pm
Thursday to Saturday: 7am to 11pm (Dinner on Thursday to Saturday nights)
Sunday: 8am to 5pm