LOCATIONOn Megalong Street, near the corner of The Mall. A fifteen minute walk from Leura train station.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIALeura is well known for its charming, leafy streets, picturesque shops and houses and the general loveliness that is associated with being a suburb of the Blue Mountains. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that spread across several rooms of one of these charming houses, is a charming Thai restaurant (with an appropriately-charming garden). Your first view of Thai Square Garden Restaurant is of the vibrant shrubbery, neat stone path and a statue of a stone vase that stands as tall as the building itself. On pleasant days and nights you may also spy a few alfresco tables taking in the surrounds.
Inside, Thai Square is set out as a house and broken up between rooms. A common theme runs through deep burgundy walls, Thai artworks, white-clad tables, pleased-looking diners and generous, fragrant dishes. With these the restaurant plays safe. The menu features traditional favourites like a range of stir-fries with your choice of tofu, chicken, beef, pork, seafood, duck or lamb. The signature “Thai Square stir-fried” is particularly good and has just enough bite to please. There is a similar range of “topping” choices with noodle dishes like pad Thai and pad see eew, warm salads and curries (including token green, red, Panang and Massamun). A fun addition to the menu is “barbecue”. Although limited to just three dishes – chicken, beef and pork – it offers a novel experience. For more of the less-renowned, look to a special blackboard menu that offers a seasonal take on Thai cuisine. And, if you have room at the end of your meal, the dessert menu has a few suggestions for you: fried ice-cream? Black sticky rice with custard? Banana with coconut milk?
Agnes Gajewska