A ride on the scenic Tranzalpine train brought us back to Christchurch, which is beginning to feel like home. There were four Thai restaurants within a block of our motel, but when we asked its proprietress which she recommended, she sent us about five blocks away (big deal!) to Ironside Thai.
The restaurant is a big old house, subtly painted, with white roses nodding in the windows. Inside, there are a few Thai touches on top of Victorian domestic decor. The proprietors are young Thais, and their food differs a bit from your typical menu.
Our waitron advised us on wine choices, and we settled on a 2006 Allan Scott Marlborough Riesling. It went very well with the piquancy of our starter, Nam Tok: a northeastern style salad of sliced beef dusted with roasted ground rice and flavored with lemon, chili, and Thai herbs.
Having started with beef, we went on to seafood. The new fish of the day was monkfish, again a different sort from the one we know at home, thinner and falling into tender white flakes. It was served as Choo Chee Plah, battered, deep fried and drenched in a creamy red curry sauce. The other main was Goong Phad King, fresh-tasting prawns (or shrimp, to us) stir-fried with lots of ginger, dried mushrooms, and vegetables. Both dishes included cauliflower among their vegetables, which we've never seen in other Thai restaurants, but they went along beautifully.It shows that Thai cooking is about the style of preparation and the sauces and condiments, not about the individual ingredients. I think I could eat possum in that red curry sauce and enjoy it - and I'd know I was doing the ecology of New Zealand a big favor as well.
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