Rave review for Valley Thai serving up ‘flavour bombs’
Run by proven achievers in Asian cuisine and serving up some seriously delicious fare and cracking wines, this cosy Fortitude Valley eatery is an absolute must-visit.
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They say you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket, but try telling that to Cameron and Jordan Votan. Except, with these brothers, it’s not a basket, it’s a street.
The hospitality gurus are behind Fortitude Valley’s hugely popular East St eateries: Happy Boy, Snack Man and the newly renamed Nice Thai by Kid Curry – basically taking ownership of the fairy-lit, tree-lined strip with their fast-casual, highly affordable, quality eats and drinks.
The latter, and third of the duo’s ventures in the precinct, Nice Thai, originally launched in 2020 amid heavy Covid restrictions as an online only restaurant specialising in curries from across Southeast Asia, but quickly morphed into a bricks and mortar operation when its popularity exploded.
A few years on, and the brothers have decided to ditch the all-encompassing, pan-Asian menu to focus simply on authentic Thai fare – reflective of the roughly three-quarter Thai-national kitchen team headed by spice whiz and ex-Spirit House chef Tom Swapp.
Nice Thai, with its all-timber, sleek and minimalist fit-out, isn’t like your suburban Thai restaurants, however, serving watered down curries or meek and mild noodle dishes designed for “Australian palates”.
Here it’s about flavour that takes you hostage, slaps you from every angle and leaves you dazed and dazzled – in the best way possible.
Take for instance the pla muk tod ($18). Traditionally a form of fried squid with garlic, this version leaves the original in its dust, amping things up with a jumble of ridiculously tender, lightly battered tentacles on a viscous coconut cream fragrant with curry powder, alongside dollops of precisely balanced nahm jim, scarlet from red chillies.
Or there’s the sai ua ($18) – a grilled pork sausage from Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand that’s dense and charry and smacking of ginger, ready to be wrapped up in wedges of cabbage with battens of daikon, coriander leaves and slices of red before being dipped into more of that cracking nahm jim.
The real flavour bomb, however, comes with the pad see ew ($28). Unquestionably one of the best versions I’ve ever had of this stir-fried noodle dish, it stars sweet and slippery noodles, deeply caramelised and charred by the wok, with wilted Chinese broccoli, coins of carrot, whispy fried egg and collapsing, slow-cooked beef cheek delivering flavour with more layers than a croissant.
The stir-fried clams ($24) serve up another explosion of aromatics – this time Thai basil dominating a sweet chilli jam broth with aniseed notes. The liquid is then ready to be mopped up with roti ($9) that’s a little on the dense rather than flaky side.
There are curries too – a massaman with chicken and a green version with beef – that beg a return visit, as do desserts like pandan ice cream, coconut, Thai jelly and nuts; and, of course, the European-heavy wine list.
The brothers are standouts in the vino scene, packing their venues’ drinks lists with hard-to-find, exclusive or boutique drops, including rarer styles like my incredibly easy-drinking marzemino – a light chilled Italian red with bright berry notes that pairs beautifully with the menu’s bold dishes. It’s delivered pre-poured from Snack Man next door by our engaging, knowledgeable waitress, who offers welcome advice on which dishes to choose if you’re indecisive or forgoing the $65pp chef’s banquet.
There’s just one problem with Nice Thai. Its name is selling itself short. This isn’t “nice”, it’s “bloody fantastic”.
Nice Thai
East St, Fortitude Valley
0413 246 890
Open
Wed-Sun 5.30pm-9.30pm
Must-eat dish
Pad see ew
Verdict – Scores out of 5
Food 4
Service 4
Ambience 3.5
Value 4.5
Overall 4
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