Thai food is one of our favourite family cuisines because if deals well with dietary needs. So, we’re delighted to find that Chef Rit Suttinual and his partner Jade Kim, owners of the well-respected restaurant Thai on the Hill Robina, have brought us another little gem, See Thai in the Sundale precinct of Southport.
Opened in August 2019, the casual eatery has both alfresco seating fronting out to the Broadwater to catch the breeze and seating inside running through to the Meriton arcade. Inside, mustard walls are decorated with framed photos of Thailand, creating a pleasant dining space.
We are greeted by Jade, and begin our meal with entrées: crisp money bags filled with a succulent prawn and chicken filling – some of the juiciest we have tasted, crab spring rolls in an intriguing crispy net pastry (similar to taro puffs) served with plum sauce, and excellent chicken satay sticks.
On a menu of dishes mostly made to share, soups and salads follow, so we choose the Fruity roast duck salad to complement our shared mains. It’s a dish we’ve encountered before at Thai on the Hill, bursting with the freshness of Thai herbs to offset the rich cold roast duck meat.
Other dishes on the menu include Noodles and Stir Fry, Fried Rice and Curry, covering most of our Thai favourite dishes, but we head for their specialties, aiming to find a point of difference.
The Chef’s Specials brings us some different dishes to try: Larb, Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad) and glass noodles steamed in a pot or as a salad with optional egg net.
Jade describes the food as ‘Australian Thai’, the pungent heat and flavours of Thailand adjusted only a little to suit the Aussie palate. Our Pad See Eaw with prawns and egg net is beautifully presented, vibrant and full of flavour, the noodles perfectly cooked.
But the dish of the day is Deep-fried whole barramundi with garlic and chilli tamarind sauce. Wow! The flavours! There’s plenty of barra flesh to share and we keep dipping back into the bowl for more of the punchy sour sauce. We notice that two other versions of the fish are available, a three-flavours sauce and whole fried barramundi covered in the less spicy Thai green apple salad, similar to our favourite ‘Pla on the Hill’.
Well priced, with whole fish the most expensive dish at $29.90, most main course dishes are $17 – $20 and generous in size, so sharing is a great way to try lots of flavours. Lunch specials are even more keenly priced. Sweets, such as banana fritters with ice-cream or the sago with black beans are available to finish your meal.
With BYO a bonus, plentiful street parking plus two hours’ free parking under the Meriton, See Thai punches above its weight on all fronts. Having recently lost one of our favourite Thai restaurants (Jaisungma), See Thai will be seeing more of us!
See Thai, Shop 10/2 Como Cres, Southport Ph: 07 5571 1978
Open Mon – Sun 11am – 3pm, 5 – 9pm
NOTE: On one occasion, Good Food Gold Coast dined as a guest of See Thai.