Mellow Thai

When I was a kid, every suburb had a Chinese restaurant. These days, Thai seems almost as ubiquitous, but not all suburban Thai restaurants are created equal. This one’s a great bet for inner west locals. It’s a curious collaboration between four earnest Thai youngsters, who’ve worked at Chat Thai but have something different to say. They lured me in with home delivery that wasn’t disappointing, and won me over with a warm, in-house experience and better-than-standard eats. Tap into those hazy memories of a beach party in Thailand with lurid frozen cocktails like Phi Phi Island ($13). The kids can devour their own ice mountain of magic, the Mellow Volcano ($6.90). The slightly weird flavour is sapa fruit (saying strawberry will probably suffice). The staff love their street food Pork Balls ($7). I favoured their super crisp version of Golden Crab ($12). Mellow Black Pepper Lamb Cutlets ($23.90) were my standout main. Pink-in-the-centre cutlets, perfect balance and ultra-fresh sprigs of green peppercorns, let you know there’s a caring, competent chef. Charmed by their enthusiasm and Thai not seeming boring, I looked kindly on less successful combinations, like the eggplant, grilled fish and soybean called Fish in Black ($16.90). Yep, Monday night in just got a little brighter…

Mellow Thai
172 Norton Street, Leichhardt
Ph: (02) 9572 7881 www.facebook.com/MellowThai
Thai $$