Not the most authentic, but the service is attentive at Thai at Red Hill, says dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON. 

THAI food is well known for being salty, sour, sweet, bitter and hot. The blends of coriander, cumin, ginger, garlic, basil and cinnamon are exotic and combined in endless ways.

With Thai flavours floating in our heads, we arrived at Red Hill shops. Thai at Red Hill is a friendly, family operated business. It has an extensive menu for dining in, takeaway and delivery. 

We started with dim sim (four pieces, $8.50), gentle tasting but slightly chewy. The dim sim were topped with a salad of sorts – radish, tomatoes, lettuce and grated carrot. While it looked pretty, we weren’t sure it added any Thai value.

The crispy prawn cutlets performed much better at commanding the attention of our taste buds – super crunchy on the outside and it was fun dipping them in the spicy pinkish chilli mayo served in a love-heart-shaped dish (four pieces, $9.50). 

One of the four chef’s specials is the chicken satay skewers, rich in colour on the outside (four pieces, $10.90). The satay sauce, also served in a love-heart dish, was tasty and the skewers arrived the same as the dim sim, with radish, tomato, lettuce and grated carrot salad. 

Other chef’s specials include pork-minced. spicy larb roll (four pieces, $8.50), deep-fried whole barramundi with cashew nuts ($33), and red duck curry with lychee ($18.90), which sounded lovely.

The dish of the day by far was the green curry with chicken ($16.90), which can also be ordered with vegetables and tofu, prawn, beef, pork, or seafood (a line-up of red, yellow and Panang curries are also on the menu). The coconut cream was decadent, the chicken moist and eggplant earthy. Thick chunks of red capsicum and thick chunks of zucchini were other additions (we couldn’t find the green capsicum promised on the menu) and the dish was topped off with a couple of fresh basil leaves.

Our vegetable journey continued with a dish of mixed veggies served with a hearty oyster sauce ($16.90). The big squares of tofu absorbed the sauce nicely and the broccoli was bright green, lively and not overcooked. Tomatoes featured once more, as did capsicum, mushrooms and carrot.

The service was attentive and the restaurant’s décor was Thai inspired. Am not sure I can put my hand on my heart and say this is the best or most authentic Thai I’ve ever had, but if I lived in the area, I could see myself wandering down every so often to support a local restaurant. 

Thai at Red Hill is BYO and a quality supermarket, just a few steps away, has a great selection of wines to choose from if you’re caught off guard.

Mixed veggies… served with a hearty oyster sauce. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Chicken satay skewers… rich in colour on the outside. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Crispy prawn cutlets… super crunchy on the outside.Photo: Wendy Johnson

Dim sim… topped with a salad of tomatoes, lettuce and grated carrot. Photo: Wendy Johnson