Shallot Thai Restaurant, Malvern East by Big Fil

Thai seems to be one of the in things for East Malvern and Carnegie, with at least six Thai restaurants located within a five minute drive. Shallot Thai, located on the burgeoning eating strip of Waverley Road Malvern East, fills the role of the marginally above average local Thai restaurant.


Shallot Thai looks bright, clean and comfortable from the outside. The flip side of this is that it is a bit lacking in personality, since there is nothing about it to distinguish it in feel from the myriad of other slightly upmarket Thai restaurants.

The Tod Mun - Thai fish cakes - looked and tasted quite good. I did however find them a bit too rubbery in texture, though I am not sure if that's the way they were meant to be or just a personal preference.


The other entrée sampled, Por Pia - spring rolls with pork filling - was much better. I am not normally a fan of most spring rolls often finding them overcooked and a bit bland but these were nicely crispy with flavoursome filling.


The moo yang bbq was my favourite of all the dishes. The pork was cooked well, still tender and moist. The marinade used when preparing it gave sufficient flavour that I barely touched the sauce served with it. I'd happily order this again.


Almost as good was the Beef Gaeng Dang. The coconut milk was slightly spicy but not hot, so that the flavours were accentuated rather than hidden by the chilli used. It also went really well with the coconut rice.


Less impressive and a bit of a mess was the Lamb Gaeng Panang. I found this rather bland. Compared to the Geang Dang there was just something missing in the flavour and presentation.


Overall
I must admit that Thai, or at least the version of Thai available in Melbourne, is not my favourite cuisine and not something I regularly eat. I found Shallot Thai a pleasant place to eat but not somewhere I would rush back to. There is nothing bad or wrong that would drive me away, more than there is nothing special about it to draw me back. It's also considerably cheaper to order takeaway than to dine in.

Verdict
Ambience - 6.5
Service - 7
Food - 6.5
Price - 6

Address
181 Waverley Road
Malvern East VIC 3145
Tel: (03) 9571 9140