PROFILED BY DEGROOTS MEDIABe warned – dining at Asian Gateway can become habitual. You don’t even need to drive into the city for the tangy tastes of Thai cuisine. Tucked away in Nightcliff, Asian Gateway offers the full range of traditional Thai dishes, with a few Burmese thrown in. The menu is so extensive and tantalising that you’ll want to come back more than once. And it’s great value – a four-course meal for less than $30! Or better still, bring three or more friends and indulge in the eight-course banquet set menu for an amazingly reasonable price.
After a sweaty Darwin day it’s a pleasure to walk into the cool, spacious interior and sit down to an iced water and free nibbles of prawn crackers to kick start the tastebuds. An elephant and lotus water feature, dainty parasol lampshades and gilt-framed portraits of Thai royalty put you in the mood for something exotic. Choose a drink from the fully licensed bar and take your time over the menu. Spicy tom yum soups are a healthy starter, or crunchy Burmese spring rolls. There are hot and sour salads, wet and dry curries, colourful stir-fries, noodle and rice dishes, with your choice of seafood and red and white meats. The pad Thai is luscious; succulent noodles garnished with lemon, juicy bean sprouts and crushed peanuts. Don’t be fooled by dishes entitled “Moo” – this is pork, not cow. There’s a vegetarian deluxe selection so non-meat eaters won’t go hungry, and all dishes are MSG free. Order Thai hot, medium hot, or mild to suit your palate, and complement your meal with a premium Aussie or New Zealand wine. And for a soothing finish, savour the chilled lychees and vanilla ice cream anointed with chocolate vermicelli and a sprig of garden-fresh mint.
Merridy Anne Pugh