Bahn Thai Restaurant

We decided to visit the newly opened Bahn Thai restaurant in Palmerston, situated on the corner of Maluka Drive and Rolyat Street.

Our first impression was good. Clean, freshly painted and with a touch of Asian authenticity. At first we were seated in the corner, with myself looking straight into the walls. Not being happy with my view we asked to be moved to a different table. We were offered another table where I would be looking into a wall. Eventually we got to choose - great, this evening we could have a table that  would normally be for four people. Room to move!

We decided to share our main meals and get a fried rice to complement them.

Royal Thai Massaman

We were surprised when the Royal Thai Massaman was served in a soup bowl. For $26 we felt this serving was quite small. The beef was obviously silverside and had not been cooked in the curry sauce. The beef was tender and the sauce was delicious. Just not enough of it.

Chicken Fried Rice

The Thai style Fried Rice, $19, with spring onion, tomatoes and coriander was a little greasy. You could taste the peanut oil.

Chicken Pad Thai

Thai style fried noodle with bean sprouts and peanuts, at $19 this was the best meal for value we had on the night. Quite delicious.

Prawn Chu Chee

Tiger prawns with spicy coconut sauce, $27.00. We counted 10 prawns, they were delicious. I could have eaten the whole plate myself. The spicy coconut sauce being the nicest I've ever tasted.

The meals at this restaurant are not big, make sure you order extra to fill the gap. It's a pity they don't serve their meals with steamed rice.

Desserts range from $7 to $8.50 and are mostly made up with western style icecream desserts. We had wanted to try the glutinous rice balls with coconut milk, the only Asian style dessert on offer,  but they weren't available.

They also have a comprehensive wine list.

We were disappointed with the service, they were very slow to attend to us. Our meals weren't brought out at the same time. It's just as well we were sharing meals and could start on the first one.

Brrrrr - this is a very cold restaurant. The air-conditioning is powerful. Our meals were nearly cold when served, most likely because the air-conditioning chills them off too quickly.

Some of our meals had peanuts in them and they weren't advertised with peanuts. If you have an allergy, make sure you ask about each meal.

We ended our evening with tea and coffee. Be prepared for another lengthy wait, they only have a small coffee machine. No pots of tea, only a tea bag. Shame!

I found that sitting at the table was quite uncomfortable. The chairs are too low for the tables and there is no way you can tuck your legs under the chair because of their design. The tables have four splayed feet, like cafe tables. This makes it quite awkward when placing your feet.

Overall, I was a little disappointed with the Bahn Tai Restaurant but I'd be prepared to try them again. Next time I'll order steamed rice to fill the gap...and take a shawl.

Rendezvous Cafe

You will find the Rendezvous Cafe in the Star Theatre Arcade, off the Mall, in Darwin. It is open from 6pm to 9pm for dinner and is also open through the day with a different menu for lunch.
This cafe is quite small however they have crammed in lots of tables in order to maximise their customer potential. On our visit we found it was quite busy, almost full to capacity.

The cafe's decor is dull and mismatched. They offer Malaysian cuisine but their decor is far from being South East Asian. From the menu cover to the wall decorations, menu boards and background music we found  nothing that seemed to fit.

Our first impression wasn't a good one. However, we dared to venture on. We found that the menu offered entrees from $6 to $8 and main meals ranged from $12 to $20.

For our entrees we chose Tempura Prawn $8, Vegetable Spring Rolls $6 and Spicy Chicken $6.
The Tempura Prawns were tasty, and the Vegetable Spring Rolls were quite delicious. Unfortunately we found that the Spicy Chicken had been rolled in Chinese five spice and deep fried, certainly not what we had expected. Along with the human hair attached! No one was game to eat the last piece. We pointed this out to our waitress and she came back to us with the decision that we would not be charged for the Spicy Chicken.
We were also amazed that the entrees had been served on one big platter and with no dipping sauce.

All the entrees on offer were deep fried, it's a pity they can't offer an alternative for those people who can't eat a lot of deep fried food.

At this point I was feeling a little daunted as to my prospect of getting a decent meal, however, I was hungry and looking forward to the Stir Fried Seafood with Vegetables that I had ordered. Alas, I was to be disappointed.

Stir Fried Seafood with Vegetables, $18.
Three prawns, three pieces of squid, nine pieces of silken tofu. I am not a fan of tofu and if this meal had been advertised on the menu as having tofu I would not have ordered it. Luckily it came with a generous serving of rice. I would also have to add that the flavour was exquisite and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the meal. I  was adventurous and tried one piece of tofu; left the rest. To me tofu is a filler, something you add into your cooking because it's cheap, helps to cut costs and it fills up the plate.

I checked the menu once again and realised that none of the meals had any explanation as to what they actually contained.

Chicken Laksa, $12.
The cafe advertises that it has the best Malaysian Laksa in town. I'm wondering if there are  any other Malaysian restaurants in Darwin? I'm also wondering how they could presume that they are the best? The comments from my friend, who had ordered the Chicken Laksa, would make me believe that she does not agree with their statement.

Green Prawn Curry, $20.
The initial reaction from this meal was that the cook had forgotten to add the prawns. They were found at the bottom of the dish. This points to the prawns being cooked separately, placed in the dish then the curried vegetables placed on top. Consequently the prawns won't have the wonderful flavour from the curry. This didn't detract from the enjoyment of this meal though, as my friend scoffed it down with obvious pleasure.

We found that communicating with the staff was quite difficult. It would be best not to ask too many questions, just order off the menu and eat.

I was keen to try the Gula Malaka at $7 for my dessert, unfortunately they had run out. I also couldn't get an explanation from them as to what it was; another communication break down.

This cafe is obviously popular, the prices are very reasonable, and it would seem that they have a regular clientele. It's not flash, it's not the most spectacular meal, the service is not the best, but it is just a cafe after all.

Table Forty Three

Table Forty Three is located on the ground floor of the Mantra Pandanus , 43 Knuckey St, Darwin, ph 89012920.

We decided to try out their special deal, two courses and a glass of Devil's Corner wine for $39.00. On arrival we discovered that it was two seafood main dishes on offer. This was a huge problem for us as one of our ladies has an allergy to seafood. Also, only two game dishes were on offer for entrees, Kangaroo and Duck and Chicken Terine. We felt we should have been informed about the choices when making the booking, especially as it was the Manager of the restaurant that had explained the special deal when we phoned. Luckily for us the waitress was able to organise a chicken dish and we proceeded with our order. Management should look at offering a wider variety, usually you would find a fish, a chicken and a red meat dish to choose from. This way most clientele would be catered for.

For entrees we ordered the  Kangaroo, and Duck and Chicken Terine. For our main meals we had Char - Grilled  - Chicken, Steamed Mussels and Thread-fin Salmon.

Duck and Chicken Terine

The Duck and Chicken Terine was made from chicken thigh and duck leg. This was a huge serving with two generous slices and was enjoyed immensely.

Grilled Kangaroo

The Grilled Kangaroo was served with baby spinach leaves, caramalised onion and couscous. This was also quite a big serving for an entree.  It had been cooked to perfection, still slightly pink in the middle.  I'm not a great fan of kangaroo meat however, the caramalised onions helped to make this dish enjoyable.

The waitress had informed me that kangaroo tastes just like lamb. In fact kangaroo does not taste like lamb at all. It is a very lean meat, quite stringy and has a distinctive flavour to it. It's certainly a meat that one has to acquire a taste for. My advice to any wait staff would be to take more care with their explanations.

Steamed Mussels

Fifteen delicious steamed Black Lipped Mussels served on a bed of pasta with spicy tomato and garlic sauce. On the normal mains menu it is advertised with grilled sour dough bread  however  I was not given any. Eating this dish took me back to my childhood, digging for pippies and toheroas with Mum cooking up seafood fritters.

Char Grilled Chicken

Whole chicken breast served on a bed of sweet potato mash with  harissa jus and a cherry tomato salad. This meal looked fantastic and was enjoyed immensely.  I tasted the sweet potato mash, the best I've ever had.

Threadfin Salmon

The Threadfin Salmon was served with quinoa (grain), sautee spinach, roasted cherrry tomato and herb salad with a lemon myrtle beurre blanc. Another superb meal that looked and tasted great.

Cheese Selection for Two

The cheese selection for two came with a mild Cheddar, a Bree and a Mainland Blue and was served with fresh and dried fruits, grissini and crackers.  Unfortunately it was served with stale crackers, however once pointed out to the waitress she was able to procure some fresh ones for us. It was advertised with croutons and quince paste, we did not get any.

Two selections of cake on offer

Seven dollars for coffee and cake was hard to pass up. This photo shows two pieces that we had already cut in half to share. The cakes were a decent size and good value.

There were two Devil's Corner wines on offer, a red and a white. We were able to taste the two wines, with quite generous tasters in order to assist us with our choice. We chose Sauvignon Blanc, this went well with our meals.

Table Forty Three offers entrees that range from $16 and up to $30 for a dozen oysters, the main meals start at $26.50 and go up to $45.00  for a 250g filet mignon with prawns. All desserts are $12.

I would have to say the atmosphere is a little unusual. They offer alfresco dining, although without the busy hustle and bustle on the street found in other parts of Darwin. I felt like I was sitting in a train terminal, with people coming and going past our table all the time. The restaurant is situated on the ground floor, just off the hotel foyer. It is air-conditioned but as the restaurant is open to the street it did get a bit warm.

As you walk from the dining area to the counter there is a tricky step which is hard to see. As we dined we noted four people nearly come to grief on it. I would advise the owners to take a look at this.

We found the staff to be extremely helpful with our waitress going out of her way to smooth over our initial hurdle. We had three different staff attend to us over the evening, they were all friendly and willing to attend to our queries. I really enjoyed the meal and the great service. Yes, we did have a few hiccups, but they were attended to with professionalism. I would have no qualms in spreading the good word about this great restaurant.

Moorish Cafe

Moorish Cafe is located on Knuckey Street, ph 8981 0010.

To start with we decided to try several Tapas dishes.
House baked bread with dukkah and olive oil. $4.00 The waitress informed us that it was served with roast vegetables, this turned out to be misleading as the bread itself contained only a few tiny morsels of vegetables.

Grilled pork belly with fennel seeds and rosemary, $7.50. The flavour had not permeated the pork as the herbs were merely sprinkled on the outside of the meat.

Bruscetta with houlmi and sun dried tomatoes, $8.00. This was over-grilled resulting in the bread being burnt making the dish dry and crumbly despite the topping.

Roasted Lamb Rump with hot mint sauce and crunchy polenta served on spiced eggplant puree. $34.00.
I enjoyed the fried polenta, having never eaten this before. I was a bit disappointed that the meal did not come with extra vegetables. The lamb was tender although slightly under-cooked for my liking. I wasn't sure why the mint sauce was referred to as being hot because it wasn't hot in either temperature or flavour.

Grilled Organic free range half chicken, marinated in yoghurt and sweet  paprika, with sweet potato chips and gazpacho salsa, $32.00. This meal was served with a small half chicken. It presented as if there had been very little care taken with the plating.

Sumac spiced NT barramundi fillet with a tahini and avocado puree and a moghrabieh couscous and pomegranate salad, $32.00. This dish presented with an unusual looking salad; it had a type of couscous that we were not expecting.

On the evening we asked for a copy of the menu but were advised to go online to access their website. However, we found out later that the website is not up to date. Eventually we were able to get a copy of the main menu dishes emailed to us by an apologetic owner.
This was a very expensive learning experience for us. We felt the tapas were over priced and the meals quite expensive.

Dolly's Bar

Dolly's Bar - Hibiscus Tavern

Dolly's Bar has a pleasant atmosphere, a quaint decor with a mixture of interesting seating options inside, and is obviously a popular spot with the locals.

From off the menu we ordered Marinated Lamb Cutlets, served on a sweet potato mash $19.50; Tuscan grilled chicken breast with Italian salad, served with a light mango coulis, $16.50; and Irish Stew with tender pieces of lamb slow cooked with seasonal vegetables, $13.50.

We had paid for the meals on two dockets but had explained that we were sitting together on the one table. I ordered garlic bread and asked for that to be brought out first. Not long after we sat down the Irish Stew was brought out. Why? Where were the other meals? And where was the garlic bread? We sent the Irish Stew back, we wanted all our meals to be served together.

The young lass informed us soon after that she had found our other docket and the meals would be ready soon.

Yummy garlic bread. The first plus.

There were three medium sized marinated lamb cutlets which were quite tasty and the gravy was delicious.  Unfortunately though this meal was served with chips which really was ridiculous as the lamb chops were already sitting on a bed of (almost cold) mashed sweet potato. Two servings of potatoes on the one plate is not a brilliant idea. There was no salad. The meal was small and not filling at all.

Later on I inquired as to whether a salad should have come with the meal or not, and I was informed that yes, it should have. I asked for a small refund, the manager came out to speak to me, apologised and offered either a free drink or dessert.

Interestingly, we noted several other people had sent their meals back as they didn't have salads either and I overheard one lady at the counter complaining that she had not got hers. It seems the kitchen staff need some further training in this area.

The Tuscan Grilled Chicken was actually a very nice meal indeed. "Beautiful" was the comment given. It was presented nicely with not too many chips. Another plus.

The Irish Stew was a dismal failure. Tasteless, even the seasonings didn't help. The stew consisted of 6 small pieces of lamb, potato puree, potato chunks, carrot and celery. It had a pastry round on top to give the appearance of a pie. At $13.50 this dish was an injury to taste buds and  pocket. We wondered where the traditional dumplings were. This meal needed some drastic improvements.

The free dessert brought out was the Homemade Citrus Cheesecake served with ice-cream, cream and chocolate sauce.  I had seen it on the menu, it sounded good and I wanted to try it out. I shouldn't have. The texture and taste of the base was definitely that of a packet mix. It had a stale taste to it. The chocolate sauce was cheap and nasty, with a sharp taste that went up the back of your nose. Whipped cream from a can! How hard is it to whip fresh whole cream?

We were disappointed. One nice meal out of two. Not good enough.

It was almost a relief when the music forced us to leave.