LOCATIONPaddington.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIADeservedly popular, Poppy Thai is an above-average suburban Thai place, with alfresco dining on the tiled terrace of Central Shopping Centre, and an interior done up in garish Thai Airways purple and papaya yellow. Two carved Thai princesses greet you at the entrance, while the expanse of floor-to-ceiling windows adds to the open-air feel of the dining room.
The usual entrees, mainly deep-fried, are reasonably good and well priced. Try the coconut prawn rolls, chicken satay and scallops in tempura batter. For mains, your choices are divided into soups, curries, stir fries, noodles, salads and rice dishes.
The choo chee curry is richly flavoured and filling, laced with threads of fried egg and holy basil leaves. Barbecued duck comes sliced and served on a bed of stir fried vegetables with soy sauce. Also recommended are the pork and lychee stir fry with mushrooms and shallots, and rad naa (crispy fried noodles in a thick garlic and soy based gravy). The spicy Thai salad offers fresh, bitey and herbaceous flavours made with mint leaves, coriander, onions, lemon juice and chilli powder with a choice of meat or seafood – ask for it hot for an authentic chilli hit. Finish with sweet sticky rice and sangkaya(Thai-style custard).
Fiona Davies