The Roving Gourmets - De Grand

Previously a mecca for heirlooms and antiques the Market Road intersection of Great South Road is not exactly an upmarket enclave for classy restaurants.

But we’ve been hearing great things about De Grand Thai for a while now and after numerous attempts to review the place we finally managed to snare a table on a week night so we were hoping that the hype matched the reality.

Located in what was once Greenlane’s largest antique shop, first impressions were not “grand” but on entering - kraprow! Whoever bankrolled the interior has done so magnificently with flair and with no expense spared.

De Grand’s menu is a much imitated but a rarely matched line-up of over a hundred traditional dishes that draws on the assertive flavours from all around modern Thailand. Oddly some dishes come with European overtones. On offer there is something for everyone with appetisers (from $9.50), soups (from $10), salads (from $20), curries (from $21), stir fried (from $21.50), seafood (from $24.50), lamb (from $23), duck (from $24.50), chicken (from $21), beef (from $21), noodles (from $20), rice dishes (from $20) vegetarian (from $9.50) and banquet menus (from $37pp).   

With all the dishes appealing we eventually decided on pad khing chicken ($24.50) with ginger spring onions and mushrooms. Arriving hot and filled with large pieces of chicken and a good selection of vegetables this was a winner. However the green beef curry ($21) with coconut milk and vegetables was bland, the beef chewy, the dish was lacking in vegetables and overall did nothing to set the taste buds alight.     

Don’t expect to get-away with some fiddly little dessert ($12.50), rather in true Thai style there are gargantuan serves of appealing ice cream flavours and on a sponge base, a decadent misuse of the term “cake”. Following the waiters lead and gushing recommendation and with room to spare we chose the fruit bellissimi passionfruit and berry ice cream layered with maringata ice cream on a vanilla sponge and a request for two spoons.