Joy Bong, K'Road, Auckland

The terakihi-based pla pud prik. Picture / Fotopress

Herald rating: (* * * *)

The cuisine of northeastern Thailand, where the dishes tend not to be coconut-cream based, is distinctively pungent. The regional food is rustic and carries considerable heat as traditionally smaller portions are served to dress the glutinous or sticky rice, which bulks up the meal.

Joy Bong's menu mostly reflects this regional cuisine but also includes popular dishes such as tom yum soup, pad Thai and barbecued duck curry.

The owners of Joy Bong are not Thai but the kitchen crew is. I've enjoyed its' convivial atmosphere several times and decided it was a good place for a chin-wag with friend Diane. We hadn't booked and all the booth seating was taken but our roomy table by the window suited us: plenty of space for the food.

For the best selection of dishes, I would generally invite a group of friends and order dishes to share Thai style. The menu indicates which dishes are best with jasmine or sticky rice. Your sticky rice will arrive in small woven bamboo cylinders with lids that cup over the lower part and you are encouraged to use your fingers to pinch this rice and dip it into the intensely flavoured sauces. Try this tactile experience, you might discover you enjoy it!

It's hard to go past good Thai fish cakes with their slightly resilient texture and chilli hit. I've had a fair number of wannabe versions lately and it is the texture that is the most difficult to get right followed by the balance of flavour with birdseye chilli and kaffir lime leaf. Diane and I shared some fish cakes and mouthfuls of Thai beef and shiitake mushroom, herb salad with glasses of Spy Valley 03 and Carrick 03 Riesling while discussing the whereabouts of old flames.

The lemongrass chicken, which arrived next, was a knockout: herbaceous, citrusy and with enough juices to eat with the sticky rice. Chicken breast meat is marinated with lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves and chilli before stir-frying.

Our waitress had suggested a special pla pud prik: terakihi fillets cooked with red curry paste, kaffir lime leaves, red capsicum, red chilli and green beans. The fillets had first been cut into bite-sized pieces floured and fried. These are then stir fried with the red curry paste and vegetables. It's again well flavoured. Both dishes need the accompanying rice and we order two rounds of both the jasmine and sticky rice.

Diane calls me a 'phaan tung' which in her dialect means 'rice guts'. I admit to a fondness of rice and to owning books about it.

We decide to move to the couches in the bar area for pudding and discussion of serious matters such as summer sales, shoes and family gossip. Being old-fashioned girls at heart, the fried banana fritters in a shredded coconut batter, drizzled with honey and served with our choice of Kapiti icecream pleased us. We were also curious to try the coconut diamonds: soft pieces of sticky rice bound with fragrant coconut cream sitting in a pool of jammy cooked blackcurrants and raspberries, garnished with fresh berries and mint. Sweet endings are a must on holiday.

WHERE: Joy Bong, 531 Karangahape Rd, Auckland. (09) 377 2218, dinner 7 nights.
OUR MEAL: $114.50 for 2; entrees $8-$14; mains $20-$27; desserts $8-$10; cheeses $8pp.
OUR WINES: by the glass $7.50-$12.50; by the bottle $32-$85; bubbles $110-$240.