The Tall Lemongrass, Crows Nest

If there is one thing I must insist you do at Crows Nest, itwould be to visit the modern Thai kitchen, The Tall Lemongrass. With itselegant décor, this place is perfect for a romantic dinner with its lusciousorange and reds, but is simultaneously suited for a casual dinner with friends.As we first lay eyes to the entrance of the restaurant, we were in awe at whatlay behind the glass window. The lighting was dim, but we just made out themodern, organza shades that dotted the ceiling and abstract paintings of fiery,sun orange. 

Entrance to the restaurant

Entering the restaurant, we were pleasantly greeted by anextremely friendly waiter, who immediately directed us to a table we reservedjust hours before. Just a note: there are no additional costs to reservations! Plus,on a Wednesday night 6:30-7:45, the restaurant was not incredibly busy as thereplenty of seats available varying from all table sizes. After leaving a bowl ofspicy pork crackers and filling up our glasses with cool water, she left us toperuse the menus.

 Spicy Pork Crackers Free

As we were looking through the menu, we could not help but taste the complimentary pork crackers and boy were they spectacularly tasty.With a hint of chilli spice, we found ourselves quickly growing addicted. They made you sweat (just a little), but was extremely satisfying nonetheless. I guess spicy dishes just do that to you! After asking the friendly waiter, it turns out the first bowl is free of charge but any other additional bowls would have been an extra $3.00. We were a tad upset that those bowls of pork crackers couldn’t just keep coming, but I guess the Thai restaurant needed to make a profit somehow! (haha)

As to the menu, we were simply in shock at the prices ofmost of these items considering the artful sophistication of the restaurant. A meal including entrees, starters, soup and a main would have been 26 dollars (setmenus are made available for four or more people). If those of you are unsure about some of the items that are available, a menu is made available on their website which I have linked below. My friend and I decided to opt for the sampler starter dish, which gave us a taste of all the available starters.  I would highly recommend this dish if you are interested in the Thai cuisine in general. As a Thai food newbie, I found myself really grappling with the versatile range of the Thai cuisine and the almond crusted prawn was definitely the stand out amongst the different samples.

Sampling plate of starters; a showcase of curry puff, fish cake,spring roll
 money bag and almond prawn $12.00

The almond was extremely crunchy and as you bit into the prawn, it was both fresh and tender. With the combination of both soft and crunchy, I was definitely inclined to purchase awhole bowl to eat all on my own. As for the other dishes, they were alsoincredibly delicious but the Thai fish cakes were definitely something on themenu I would consider twice before ordering. But then again, I am not a huge fan of the spices derived from bay leaves, kaffir leaves and the like.

Almond Crusted Prawn - stand out of the samplers
Available for purchase from $8.00 with sweet chilli dip

After the starters, we waited anadditional ten minutes before the main dish began to arrive. I decided to order from the noodle section, which had a wide selection of noodle styles from pad thai to hokkein noodles with a modern twist. After deciding this, you may select from either chicken, beef, lamb, pork, prawn, seafood, squid or vegetables to complement those noodles. This gives you the freedom of choosing what you prefer without being restricted to set dishes. I was pleased by the two dishes that my friend and I ordered. They had extremely tasty and authentic Thai flavours, according to my extremely knowledgeable friend. Thesatay sauce had a strong peanut flavor and the coconut milk had a strong aroma that greatly enhanced the overall flavor.

Padt cashew nut broad rice pappardelle noodles, roasted cashews,
light seasoning and summer veg $14.00

Padt hokkien of satay with summer veg $14.00

Overall, I would say that the restaurant puts a huge emphasis on value. With main courses starting from only $14, thisrestaurant is definitely a place worth considering for the students! With our meal, totalling only $20 each, my friend and I were extremely satisfied by the end of our dinner. So getready to salivate, Sydney.

The Tall Lemongrass

4/136 Willoughby Road, 

Crows Nest NSW

Tel: (02) 99660350

For more information,

www.thetalllemongrass.com.au