Royal Thai Restaurant

One thing you should know about my dad is that, in terms of cuisine, he rarely likes to branch out.  Despite bringing me up to "always try everything" and forcing me to eat onions as a child (I'm still not the biggest fan of onions by the way), dad would consider food from other parts of the world only if a Chinese restaurant wasn't within a 12km radius. So eating anything other Chinese is very rare when we dine out as a family.

I'm not complaining, of course. I love my Chinese food but I can't help but think eating at the same 5 or 6 restaurants every time is a little hypocritical of my father. My mother is a little better as she comes into contact with a variety of different cultures at work although she would almost definitely choose familiar foods if given the chance.

I, however, have been completely brainwashed by the "give everything a go" mantra and absolutely love branching out and  living in the midst of a cultural melting pot such as Auckland gives Jason and I the perfect opportunity to try a variety of different cuisines. Usually it is the price that puts them off -"Why would I pay $50 for a single meal when I could feed 4 people for the same price at a Chinese restaurant?" I would often hear my dad exclaim so when we acquired some dining vouchers, I took it upon myself to introduce them to the Royal Thai Restaurant as the food there is quite similar to what they're used to. Baby steps.

Money bags -$10.20 for a plate of 6

We started off with two servings of money bags -"they're like wontons" I explain to my mother though the similarities ended with their appearance. These little morsels were filled with a mix of pork, chopped peanuts, garlic and spices with a side of sweet chili sauce. The money bags were quite different to ones I had experienced at other Thai restaurants which usually just involve meat and some mixed vegetables and the addition of peanuts provided another depth of flavour. The side salad was also nice and refreshing (not sure if it was meant to be eaten though..). Needless to say, mother was very impressed.

Keow Wan Gai (Thai Green Curry Chicken) -$19.50

Thai green curry is one of those dishes that is present on every Thai menu, but is never the same anywhere. Thank God, that this was one of the better ones I've had or else there would be less "branching out" in the future. The flavours were perfectly balanced while the green beans and bamboo shoots did well to cut the richness of the coconut milk.

Pad Thai Goong (King Prawn Pad Thai) -$25.50

Pad Thai is another of those famous dishes although past experience has warned me away. I reluctantly tried some at the insistence of Jenny, and discovered it wasn't as bad as I had remembered. The addition of bean sprouts, prawns and peanuts provided a nice crunch to the otherwise soft rice noodles but, overall, I found the Pad Thai to be a bit too sweet after a few mouthfuls.

Nua Gra Tiem (Beef with Garlic and Pepper) -$19.50

In order to ease the parentals into this new cuisine, we ordered some sizzling plates -something that is quite common on Chinese cuisine. The beef was a little overcooked in parts but was made up by the fact that it was covered in a delicious sauce! The orange slice garnish also tasted really good (again, I'm not sure if I was supposed to eat it) and I have now got an appetite for warm orange. Call me weird.

Moo Kra Ta (Pork with Peanut Sauce) -$19.50

The satay pork was cooked more evenly and every piece was very tender. However, the broccoli pieces were quite dry and perhaps needed a touch more sauce. The warm orange slice was also good.

Gai Yang (B.B.Q. Chicken) -$19.50

Last to come was a very generous amount of BBQ chicken and it was easily my favourite dish of the night. Even though the pieces were quite large, they were all cooked to perfection with the BBQ, chili and Thai herb flavour penetrating right to the center.

The Royal Thai Restaurant can be found at 243 Hinemoa St, Birkenhead, Auckland, New Zealand.


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Hum

The worst thing about mid-semester break is the fact that it is actually not a break. Contrary to popular belief, the mid-semester "break" is the two weeks given in the middle of the semester to catch up on the massive pile of work that has inevitably formed some sort of towering structure on your bedroom floor. You have no choice. This always happens. Don't fight it. Just accept it.



Hum on a sunny day

The best thing about it is the chance to catch up with friends and the yummy food you get to try in the process. One thing I have noticed lately is the gradual change that Highbury is making from an abandoned mall with weird little shops to quite a trendy area with fancy cafes and gourmet food shops. Now if only we could get rid of the loitering teenagers..

The perfect view to judge people. Don't give me that look, you do it too!

Every time I drive through the new Highbury I must resist the urge to pull over to have a nosey but, alas, I never find the time or the weather is just not the nicest. Today, however, I was offered the chance to pick and I knew I had to go to the cafe with the cool as bench on the footpath overlooking the other shops and pedestrians. I had no idea what it was called -all I knew was that I would get to enjoy a meal in the sunshine whilst being able to comment on the dishevelled mothers pushing their babies around or the teenageers who are showing waaay too much skin. OMG, I am getting old.


Fresh NZ Scallop Pie -$8.50

 Anyway, I digress, this isn't about the rude comments we made. It's about the FOOD. Formerly the Palm Cafe, the new owners have refurbished the cafe into the more trendy and modern "Hum."

Look! Real scallops! There were more than one!


After spending about 10 minutes oooh-ing and ahh-ing at the cabinet food, I was faced with the excrutiating task of choosing between ordering off the menu or from the cabinet. After another 10 minutes of deciding, I finally settled on the gorgeous fresh NZ scallop pie. This was possibly the best decision I made all day. The creamy white sauce fully brought out the flavour of the scallops (there was more than one!) and enhanced by the presence of silverbeet while the crunchy salad added a nice change of texture. Oh yeah, I even chomped down the onion -the pie was really good!

Eggs Benedict with portabella mushroom, avocado and spinach -$15.50

Francesca had given up sweets and meat for lent and hence had to settle for the vegetarian options. Luckily, the eggs benedict with grilled portabella mushroom, avocado and spinach was to die for. "Don't forget to add that the hollandaise is amazing and tastes homemade!" says Francesca -"Oh, and the ciabatta bread is so fresh!"

Roast pumpkin, spinach and feta filo -$8.50

At this point, Jason could not resist my boasting of my yummy lunch and joined us for a late lunch of filo pastry filled with roast pumpkin, spinach and feta. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to expectations as it was a little bland although it was made a little better by the presence of onion chutney.

This or cabinet food? Such a tough choice

Hum can be found in the heart of Highbury at 6 Mokoia Rd, Birkenhead, North Shore City, Auckland, New Zealand.

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