PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIADanny is actually from Hong Kong originally, while his wife, who is also the chef at this popular Thai restaurant, hails from Bangkok. A skilled chef himself, Danny jokes about being “kicked out” of his kitchen in recent years by his crew. He has since happily focused on expanding his wine knowledge. He purchases bottles with a discerning consideration for the kinds of dishes they can be paired with. Many diners praise Danny’s as highly for the wine list as they do for the food, something that is unfortunately uncommon in Asian restaurants.
Seafood lovers are lured with BBQ octopus, grilled Moreton Bay bug tails and deep fried whole baby barramundi with ginger sauce. “Sizzling seafood village style” is a succulent gathering of bug, mussels, prawns, squid and scallops in spicy Thai sauce. Crabby dining partners will be mellowed by the meaty soft shell crustacean deep fried with black pepper; snappy companions will be silenced by a sizzling crocodile fillet served with green peppercorns. Danny’s curries are savoured for their traditional cooking methods where chunks of meat (chicken, beef, lamb or kangaroo) are slow-cooked for three hours. They come butter-soft, moist and rich with green, red, massaman or penang flavours; yet noticeably lighter than their Indian counterparts. Finish with some palate cleansing home-made coconut ice-cream.
Roz Taylor, October 2007