Return to Thai Pothong

Fifteen years ago, this restaurant was already a highlight, operating on the southern side of King Street, Newtown's main strip in Sydney's inner west.

A weekend ago I had the opportunity of re-visiting Thai Pothong. It has significantly expanded its floor space and street frontage. There was a healthy hustle and bustle about the ambiance on a Saturday night. My group had initially wanted to re-visit another of King Street's continuing and consistent performers, a Vietnamese restaurant called Than Bin, but we had not booked earlier and obviously expected a full house. We had sauntered along King Street and then remembered this Thai place.

The same sanuk (love for life) feelings from way back when were accentuated by the waiting staff members, as they clasped both hands in traditional greeting to customers. The menu however is totally revamped, with packages labelled as Chiangmai, Bangkok or Phuket settings - what a terrific idea. We ordered ala carte ca rte, and I noted the larger servings compared to before. The dessert variety remains limited, but not the smiles offered from some effective synchronised team spirit in attending to the nuances of different clients.

At the entrance, there are two distinct lines offered - those with prior bookings and those without. Once you get a table, there are no restrictions on time allocated, as an increasing number of some Asian restaurants in Sydney suburbs are practising. We stayed almost the whole night, once we ensured the parking meter was covered.

I had a taste of my perennial favourite, roast duck curry. What stood out that evening was the three flavoured marinated deep fried fish. It was interesting that a Malaysian Pernanakan dish, kueh pie tee, was served as an entree, disguised under the name of Singapore's Katong.