Sailors Thai - The Ivy

LOCATION
Walk down Ash Street hidden behind the Ivy complex and take the elevators to level two.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Thai has never looked so fashionable as when served within Sydney’s uber-cool ivy restaurant and bar complex. And so it should be when it's not your yawn-worthy green chicken curry being served, but ‘haute Thai’ along with zesty cocktails. This is Sailors Thai, ivy-style – the Merivale edition of Peter Powyer’s award-winning sandstone original in The Rocks.

In a spectacular fusion of glossy black cane chairs, high marble tables and yellow flowers splashing colour through the sleek space, the restaurant bears subtle reminders of exotic Oriental drawing rooms. The only thing to keep your imagination from running away to earlier periods is the wealth of suited corporates sitting around tables.

An afternoon of opulence begins with pretty betel leaves presenting tender crab meat dressed with creamy coconut, chilli and caramel sauce, with the crunch of peanuts and spritz of lime creating a nutty zing. The bright red of deep-fried soft-shell crab peeps through a peppery coating, drizzled with a shot of garlic, chilli and lemongrass dressing. Soft tendrils of twice-cooked five spice calamari continue the menu’s seafood theme that sees many a table collect the deep-fried whole fish with basil and sweet chilli sauce. Red duck curry is bejewelled with glistening apricots and juicy green grapes that burst with sweetness. With so many vibrant flavours that play between sweet and salty, the grilled Tasmanian salmon feels a little simple and relies on the chilli, lime and coriander dressing, but it remains an elegant offering.

These dishes don’t always reach the ‘haute Thai’ standards claimed, but thankfully nor do the prices. Nonetheless, this Sailors Thai certainly feels the perfect place for the fashion-enthused to have their tastebuds tangled by the likes of the Thai Me Up cocktail. The shaken concoction of zesty lime, mint, pink pomegranate and white grapefruit with Belvedere and hints of vanilla is a Thai holiday in a glass - which everyone enjoys, whether you go haute-style highclass or not.

Edwina Storie