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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Surry Hills Eating House, Surry Hills

Duck tongue with five spice at Surry Hills Eating House

Duck tongues. You can go quackers over them at the newest addition to the Spice I Am family, Surry Hills Eating House. Barely a month old, it's opened up in the spot once occupied by Harry's Chilli Crab. Relax. Harry's hasn't closed down. They're moving a few doors up the road and tipped to open in October.

Surry Hills Eating House makes five eateries in total for head chef and co-owner Sujet Saenkham, joining House plus three Spice I Am restaurants spread across Darlinghurst, Surry Hills and Balmain. There's a focus on southern Thai food here, with Chinese and Malay influences shining through.

Refurbished dining room at Surry Hills Eating House
The refurbished dining room that was once Harry's Chilli Crab

The dining area has been completed refurbished, a calming oasis of timber furniture, flickering candles and caged light fittings that cast spindly shadows on the coffee coloured walls. Even though it's a Monday night, the place is full. It's a diverse group of diners that includes couples, groups of friends and even a posse of pensioners in one corner.

Thai milk ice tea at Surry Hills Eating House
Thai milk ice tea $5

The menu is a single page of 25 dishes. There's no breaking up into entrees or proteins. It's just one big happy mix of dishes to share - prices range from $9 to $24.

Pak Mor Youan steamed minced pork and spring onion in rice paper at Surry Hills Eating House
Pak mor youan $9 for three
Steamed minced pork and spring onion wrapped in rice paper

While we wait for our food, the kitchen sends out a complimentary serve of the pak mor youan, little parcels of mince pork and spring onion bundled up in a freshly steamed sheet of rice noodle. There's a lovely textural contrast between the rubble of pork mince and the sexily smooth rice noodle, all doused in a puddle of sweet fish sauce dressing that has a bigger chilli hit than you'd expect.

Sen Yai Sai Normai sauteed bamboo wrapped in flat rice noodle at Surry Hills Eating House
Sen yai sai normai $9
Sauteed bamboo wrapped in flat rice noodle, steamed and served with chilli and soy vinegar and dried shrimp

The sen yai sai normai is a thicker rice noodle, wrapped around a filling of sauteed bamboo like an albino spring roll. This one is more salty than sweet, served on a lake of chilli soy vinegar with garnishes of dried shrimp, chilli and coriander.

Yum Sam Grob crispy cuttlefish salad at Surry Hills Eating House
Yum sam grob $16
Spicy salad of crispy cuttlefish, fried fish maw, roasted cashew, brown onion, cherry tomatoes and Chinese celery

Yum sam grob has echoes of a som tam papaya salad but there's a lot more crunch. Shards of crispy cuttlefish and golden puffs of fried fish maw add pep to a zingy salad of cherry tomatoes, cashew nuts and matchsticks of fresh Chinese celery.

Gai Pae Sae Chinese Phuket steamed chicken at Surry Hills Eating House
Gai pae sa $18
Chinese Phuket steamed chicken with steamed water spinach

The gai pae sa or Chinese Phuket steamed chicken is highly reminiscent of Hainan chicken. The white poached chicken is served with the skin, liberally drenched in a dressing made from rice wine and ginger. A little tub of ginger sauce with chilli sits on the side for extra dipping.

Pla Tod Phae curried whitebait fritter at Surry Hills Eating House
Pla tod phae $12
Curried whitebait fritter served with house made sweet chilli sauce and crushed cashews

If it's crunch you're after, look no further. The pla tod phae or curried whitebait fritter is a snowball of deep fried deliciousness, a tangle of seasoned whitebait daubed with a sweet chilli sauce and sprinkled with cashews.

Gaeng Pak soft bean curd curry at Surry Hills Eating House
Pad ka lum lek $16
Stir fried brussels sprouts and Chinese sausage

Have you ever seen brussels sprouts on a Thai menu before? Never had I. Until now. The pad ka lum lek is a jumble of tofu, beans, cabbage and yes, brussels sprouts, swathed in a thick and spicy peanut sauce. The brussels sprouts work surprisingly well here,  the compact brassica heads adding a little crunch among the spice. It's a great dish for a winter night, especially mopping up all that gravy with spoonfuls of fluffy white rice.

Gaeng Het Pho Phuket style curry of bar cod fillet, Thai black mushroom and betel leaf at Surry Hills Eating House
Gaeng het pho $24
Phuket-style curry of bar cod fillet, Thai black mushroom and betel leaf

I'm even more enamoured with the gaeng het pho or Phuket-style curry. The red curry base has an addictive sweetness that works particularly well with the delicate bar cod fillets. The Thai black mushrooms are the best part of the dish though, dark and shiny funghi that look more like pebbles or smooth black truffles.

They're known as hed tob mushrooms, and biting into one when the whole thing is in your mouth is mandatory. You'll feel an explosive pop that is likely to leave you laughing in shock. It's the strangest sensation, like mushroom TNT exploding in your mouth. Flavour-wise they're similar to a straw mushroom but their texture is much firmer, almost like a crunchy shiitake.

Kra Dook Moo Mai Fun slow cooked pork spare rib soup with rice vermicelli noodle at Surry Hills Eating House
Kra Dook Moo Mai Fun $14
Slow cooked pork spare rib soup served with rice vermicelli noodle

The kra dook moo mai fun would be a great dish to have all on your own. It's a two-part affair: a conical bowl of pork spare ribs in a clear sweet soup versus a mountain of seasoned rice vermicelli noodles tossed through with fried shallots. Each is satisfying on its own, but alternating between the two makes them taste even better.

Duck tongue with five spice at Surry Hills Eating House
Lin Ped Pha Lo $24
Duck tongue simmered with five spice served with braised pickle, green mustard and nam som chilli vinegar

And then there's the lin ped pha lo or duck tongues. I've had duck tongues before deep-fried with salt and pepper, but here they've been simmered in a heady mix of five spice. There's not a lot of flesh on duck tongues - there's a soft bone that runs through the middle that you can eat, but there's a forked bone at the bone you'll have to extricate. The flesh itself is soft and slightly fatty, especially the tongue pad itself.

Sauce things up with the accompanying nam son chilli vinegar, and when the going gets too much, you can refresh your palate with pickles and stir fried preserved green mustard leaves.

Baked taro cake with fried shallot and durian coconut milk Thai dessert at Surry Hills Eating House
Baked taro cake $10
with fried shallot and warm durian coconut milk

There are two just desserts on the menu. The baked taro cake may be a little daunting for some. Not only does it combine a sweet taro with deep fried red onion shallots (yes really), but you'll also cop a thickened coconut caramel mixed through with durian.

Once you get past the crazy idea of durian, onion and taro for dessert, this is a pretty darn tasty dish. The taro cake is warm and comforting, the shallots add a salty hit, and durian just makes everything intoxicatingly good.

Black sticky rice with warm coconut cream Thai dessert at Surry Hills Eating House
Black sticky rice $10
with warm coconut cream

The black sticky rice is also a winner, the grains almost glassy in appearance with a distinctive chew. Savour each spoonful with warm coconut cream and fine ribbons of foi tong, delicate golden strands of sweetened egg yolk.

The flavours here feel more well-rounded overall, with mellower flavour profiles. It's no coincidence. "This the food I cook at home," Chef Saenkham says, when he stops by our table for a chat. "It's the food from my town. It's the food I grew up with."

Entrance to Surry Hills Eating House on Elizabeth Street


Surry Hills Eating House on Urbanspoon

Surry Hills Eating House
Level 1, 198-200 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, Sydney (entrance on Campbell Street)
Tel: +61 (02) 9212 4092

Open daily 5.45pm til late


Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Thai - Home, Sydney
14 comments - Add some comment love

posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 8/27/2014 11:41:00 pm


14 Comments:

  • At 8/28/2014 1:35 am, Anonymous ChopinandMysaucepan said…

    Dear Helen,

    Quack Quack! I'm keen to lose my duck tongue virginity.

     
  • At 8/28/2014 8:14 am, Anonymous Bianca@forfoodssake said…

    I love the look of the Sen yai sai normai and the Baked taro cake. I've never tried durian but I've heard both the smell and the taste can be very overwhelming.

     
  • At 8/28/2014 9:19 am, Anonymous Francesca said…

    It all looks so good- might need to fly to Sydney soon.

     
  • At 8/28/2014 3:06 pm, Anonymous Martine @ Chompchomp said…

    Oh I love that this is Thai with a little mix of other southern Asian cuisines in there. We are regulars to Thailand and pretty much love everything we ate. The only time I had ducks tongue was in dim sum in Hong Kong and they were very tough and vinegary - these sound much more edible!

     
  • At 8/28/2014 8:33 pm, Blogger Unknown said…

    Lol, I can actually say I've lost my duck tongue virginity before!!! Yes, they were good, but weird, as often the best Asian food is. Needing a fix of something spicy & tasty now, luckily I'm still abroad in Asia ;)

     
  • At 8/28/2014 8:56 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I haven't had duck tongue before because the thought of it sounds ewww but after witnessing your photo I am set to try some tongue :P

     
  • At 8/29/2014 2:34 pm, Anonymous Gourmet Getaways said…

    Yum sam grob for me, please! And an ice cold thai milk tea! Gastronomic!!!

    Julie
    Gourmet Getaways

     
  • At 8/29/2014 3:38 pm, Blogger Sherrie @ Crystal Noir said…

    What a quirky dessert! Now I feel like I just HAVE to try it :P

     
  • At 8/30/2014 7:08 am, Anonymous Cindy (a foodie's joy) said…

    Not sure about the duck tongue but everything else looks pretty good! Keen to check it out!

     
  • At 8/30/2014 10:09 am, Anonymous missklicious said…

    the dishes seem quite interesting compared to the standard thai offerings - I like the look of the brussel sprouts!

     
  • At 8/31/2014 9:05 pm, Anonymous Amanda @ Gourmanda said…

    You almost sent me into a panic when you said this is where Harry's used to be, because I thought Harry had closed down! Judging by your photos, it would almost have been worth it though!

     
  • At 8/31/2014 9:43 pm, Anonymous Joseph - UpForAFeed said…

    Great name for a restaurant! Dont know about the duck tongue dish , Im not that adventurous ...

     
  • At 8/31/2014 11:09 pm, Blogger Sarah said…

    That place looks fun! I've seen duck tongues on menus before, but never seen actual duck tongues! I might have to try some now...

    xox Sarah

     
  • At 9/01/2014 7:51 pm, Blogger irene said…

    Really really keen to try duck tongues. Am bringing a group to try all the 25 dishes! ;)

     

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