Spoilt for choice

The

Rating out of 10
Food: 8
Service: 8
Value: 7
Ambience: 7
Verdict: A great neighbourhood restaurant with fresh, zesty dishes delivered by friendly, discreet staff.

Address: 468 Manukau Rd, Epsom Ph (09) 638 8005
Our meal: $202.50 for four entrees, four main courses, two salads and assorted drinks.
Wine list: Limited selection but you can also BYO.

The arrival of free dessert at our table was welcome in more ways than one. Not only was it a nice touch when the waitress overheard that it was our first time at Mae Glong, but it also saved the women at our table having to feign indifference along the lines of "I don't really want dessert but I'll have some if you have some — okay, why don't we share one?" Whereupon you're lucky to get a look-in once the dessert hits the table.

The presentation of a large bowl of icecream and fruit to share was a vast improvement on the reception we received the last time I went to a Thai restaurant with Grant and Estelle some years back. That time, a friend of theirs went to some lengths trying to convince the bemused waitress to let him light up a joint on the premises because, by his reasoning, everyone smoked dope in Thailand so it must be okay to fire one up. Needless to say, we didn't get any free dessert that night.

With Jane making up our foursome there was never going to be another outbreak of reefer madness — it was down to the serious business of checking out the food.

And that's what Mae Glong does well in a no surprises kind of way, across the more than 70 choices on its menu (not including desserts). The entrees and mains will be familiar to anyone who has been to a Thai restaurant in this country but where Mae Glong excels is in the freshness of the food, the rich flavours and beautiful presentation, backed up by obliging and discreet service.

There's also a familiarity to the feel of the restaurant — richly patterned tablecloths, buddhas, countryside scenes on the walls and Thai music in the background. But unlike some Asian restaurants, which have glaring lights and all the ambience of a hospital waiting room, Mae Glong has the lights down low and candles on tables. Vegetarians are also well served, with 18 dishes to choose from.

To kick things off we went for entrees, including fresh spring rolls ($8), fish cakes ($9), and hot and sour prawn soup ($8). The soup was full-bodied, tangy and contained juicy prawns that had been lightly poached. The fresh spring rolls were delightful little rice paper creations crammed with crunchy vegetables and topped with chicken. But they paled in comparison with the fish cakes, which packed a real wallop to the tastebuds.

After a reasonable interval the mains started rolling out — roast duck red curry ($20.50), pork green curry ($19.50), steamed snapper with ginger and vegetables ($25) and chicken stir fried rice noodles ($19) with two salads — Thai beef salad ($19.50) and a chicken larb ($19.50).

All the dishes were perfectly cooked, some garnished with hand-carved vegetables, and featured the classic Thai combinations of sweet and sour, creamy and crunchy, tangy and fiery. The snapper was moist and fresh, the duck juicy and our dishes featured a wider range of vegetables than you might get at most Thai restaurants. The only oversight was that the peanuts were sprinkled over the noodles instead of being placed on the side as requested.

With Mae Glong delivering superior food in an unpretentious atmosphere, a return visit would be a no-brainer — the only problem would be how to approach the dessert dilemma next time.