The Roving Gourmets - Mae Glong

For Thai food lovers this little gem in the suburbs can be terribly addictive with food showing authenticity and detail and with tidal waves of flavour.    

A small shopping complex on the outskirts of Epsom is an unlikely place to find one of Auckland’s best and most popular Thai restaurants. Cosy and homely, the décor is not particularly ambient or recherché in space but it’s the balance and the freshness of the food matched by few Asian venues that appeals.

And to the business. We dine at Mae Glong often and the extraordinary thing about eating here is that it’s healthy with the kitchen making the most of fresh produce. Thai food is distinctively different from other Asian cuisines and owes its uniqueness to the refined use of spices and herbs. The menu offers an excellent variety of dishes from Thailand’s north-east with its own interpretation of many of the better known dishes as pad thai (chicken), gaeng panang (beef), gaeng massamun (lamb) and pad gra prow (duck).

Stand out starters include satay gai ($8.50), grilled marinated chicken with peanut sauce, goong groob ($8.50) deep fried tempura king prawns with sesame seeds, tod man pla ($8.50) fish cakes or curry puff ($7.50), deep fried chicken and vegetables wrapped in puff pastry. Leading the fifty plus strong main course menu is an interesting selection of chicken, duck, beef, lamb, pork, seafood, noodles and rice and vegetarian dishes ranging in price from $17 to $24.

And if Mae Glong is to have an edible symbol, then it must be its plad lad prik ($24) deep fried whole snapper with a sweet and sour chilli sauce piled high. It’s the most expensive dish on the menu and also one of the most popular.

Desserts ($6 to $7.50) are a mixed experience and mostly ice cream based, but in their defence Asian restaurants usually struggle in this department. Gluy tod ($7.50) deep fried banana with honey and ice cream would be as close to the perfect dessert as you’re likely to get.