SMOOTH THAI - Crows Nest

Smooth Thai
96 Willoughby Rd
Crows Nest
Phone 9460 8818

Smooth Thai has a pleasant decor that draws you in to it with tables nicely spread out and the gentle glow of ornate and intriguing chandelier lighting keeping this long restaurant still seeming intimate.

Not wanting to over-indulge tonight, Sir and M'Lady decided on sharing two entrees, one main and rice for two. M'Lady was being conservative but Sir was secretly hoping this would allow him to have the space for a tasty dessert later on.

The first entree to arrive was the Thai Fish cakes. Four of these arrived still piping hot and accompanied with a light sweet chilli sauce mixed with crushed peanuts.

M'Lady had chosen these and they turned out to be an excellent starter. The taste was subtle and spicy all in one and the sauce had a bite and a bit of crunch. We were hungry to start with so we even somewhat guiltily ate the carrots that garnished the plate!

The next entree, Sirs choice, was money bags. Sir considers himself a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to these delicacies and whilst these ones were crisp, light, hot and plump the content wasn't as good as others he'd tasted.

A good money bag has a dryish aftertaste from the shredded coconut and the mince inside. These money bags were shown on the menu as "a lovely contrast of fried pastry, chicken mince and seasonal vegetables served with sweet chilli sauce". Sadly the absence of coconut and the minimal chicken let them down - they were mostly filled with corn and peas.

Finally the showpiece of our dinner arrived - Volcanic Chicken. It was described on the menu as "Whole boneless chicken marinated in a special homemade sauce, covered with honey and flamed in brandy". This sounded spectacular and different and when it arrived it certainly seemed to look just as good with flames licking the edges of a generous pile of sliced and garnished chicken. However the excitement ended once we started eating this dish. While the quantity couldn't be faulted the meat was somewhat dry and the limited and thin sauce at the bottom couldn't save it. If it had come with a plentiful, thick and gooey sauce this might have been a winner - but it didn't and it wasn't. M'Lady described the dish as a glorified BBQ chicken, which was a pretty fair assessment. Nevertheless, it was a huge serving and the accompanying jasmine rice filled us - which was surprising considering we'd only had two entrees and one main course.

Smooth Thai is a pleasant place to eat but it seems to have some strong dishes and some weaker ones. Its in the busy restaurant strip on Willoughby Road in Crows Nest and it has a nice atmosphere and presence from the street - although most of its neighbours seem to have outdoor dining whilst Smooth Thai sadly doesn't.

The service was prompt and friendly making dining there easy and simple, and the tables are large enough to pile with plenty of dishes to share. The food is reasonably priced - entrees were $7.90 each and most mains are around $14 to $16 but our larger Volcanic Chicken was still only $19.90.

Smooth Thai has great potential and is worth a visit - but be selective with what you order.