Thailicious restaurant in Northbridge is one of my favourite Thai places in Perth. Here’s why.
Yes, their restaurant name may be quite silly – but Thailicious food is serious… seriously authentic, flavoursome Thai that is! And it’s also very central as well, located in Northbridge, right next to Cinema Paradiso and opposite the Paramount Nightclub (the one with the green palm tree out the front).
For those not wanting to sit in, they do offer a delivery option.
Don’t be fooled by the tacky exterior, once you enter its quite warm and cosy inside. There is cushioned wooden booth seating and decorative ornaments throughout the eatery which adds extra character, while Thai music played in the background. The staff are friendly as usual, well they don’t call Thailand the land of smiles for nothing.
Soft shell crab is a favourite of mine, and I always seek it out when eating out at Asian restaurants. In case you’re not familiar with it, soft-shell crab is a culinary term for grabs that have recently molted their old exoskeleton and are still soft, meaning the entire crab can be eaten, rather than having to shell the animal to get to its meat (the mouthparts, gills and abdomen are discarded, the rest is typically deep fried). Here they have Salt and Black Pepper Soft Shell Crab, it’s deep fried to golden crisp, tossed with dried garlic, salt and black pepper and served with Thalicious homemade coleslaw. Great flavours, not too mild and not too hot, a great entree to start off with.
Green papaya salad (Som Tum) is unripe, shredded papaya and carrot pounded with the Thai style motar and pestle, with sliced tomato, palm sugar, lemon juice, garlic, fresh chilli, dried shrimp, roasted peanut, and green beans. It’s a spicy salad that’s very popular all over South East Asia, combining the five main tastes of sour lime, hot chilli, salty, savoury fish sauce, and palm sugar sweetness. Do not be fooled into thinking this salad is sweet because of the papaya – it’s actually very savoury, as unripened papaya has a tangy flavour, with a crisp texture. It is absolutely delicious with its mix of flavours, but be warned – this is one salad that can get very spicy and have you reaching for a drink.
When ordering our mains, we went with coconut steamed jasmine rice (it’s cooked with coconut milk) and it’s such good rice! Coconut rice is the best – you could practically eat it on its own as it’s own meal – it’s that good!
The other main we ordered was the Thai Red Roasted Duck Curry (pictured above), with red curry paste, lychees, cherry tomatoes, fresh chilli, basil leaves and coconut milk. This meal goes so well with the coconut rice, the aroma smells delicious and it tastes so fresh. I was surprised how well the sweet lychee’s worked in a hot dish.
We ordered two cocktails.
For beer lovers, try Chang Beer, Thailand’s top selling premium beer (followed closely by Singha). Chang is a pale lager with distinctive citrus notes, perfectly complimenting the exotic flavours and textures of Thai cuisine.
Overall the food portions here are generous and well priced. The staff are friendly and efficient and this restaurant is in a prime location in Northbridge. A great place to have dinner and cheap pre-drinks before you explore the city. I like this Thai restaurant and will definitely be back again, if not purely just for the soft shell crab!
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Thalicious – Facebook
