Nytiate Bangkok Cafe & Restaurant, Elsternwick

The last time I used a discount coupon was at a Thai restaurant called Nytiate Bangkok Cafe & Restaurant in Elsternwick a few weeks ago for lunch. The reason I purchased the coupon was because of its reasonably good review on Urbanspoon, having over 80% 'like it' votes is not something that's so easily achievable. However, I was slightly disappointed with what was offered, both in terms of food quality and atmosphere, though the speed of sending out dishes and level of service were commendable. I believe there has actually been a change of management in recent months, so people shouldn't take the votes at face value.

I've been to numerous Thai restaurants in the past and compared to those that shine with gold statues, fresh flowers and fancily dressed waiters, Nytiate was plain to say the least. However, I didn't give up upon entering the restaurant because the menu seemed enticing. We were able to choose 2 entrees, 2 soups, 2 mains and 1 dessert from the menu for just $29, although drinks were not included. It would have been great value if the food was good as well. We decided to order 2 drinks (their drinks list is tiny, 4 in total) - a Thai coconut juice and a raspberry flavoured 'mocktail' for $3 each. The coconut juice tasted like it should, slightly sweet and subtle in coconut flavours. However, the raspberry 'mocktail' was really just a sweet raspberry cordial. I'd assume the other mocktail is the same standard so I would definitely not recommend their mocktails to anyone.

Lychee drink & Raspberry Mocktail - $3 each

The entrees were acceptable. The first dish we chose was chicken satay skewers valued at $9.90. What we got were 4 small chicken skewers with a nice coating of peanuty satay sauce accompanied with 2 pieces of white toast. I would have liked my satay sauce to be more chunky with roughly chopped peanuts because I like the crunching sensation when I'm eating my satay. Nytiate's satay was a bit too on the smooth side for me. Other than that, the taste was reasonable, maybe a little bland but still flavoursome and the chicken pieces were tender.

Chicken Satay Skewers - $9.90

The second entree that appealed to us was the Tord Mun Pla, described on the menu as 'deep-fried patty made from fish, kefir lime leaves, green beans and red curry paste served with cucumber relish'. It wasn't dissimilar to the fish cakes I was often served at Vietnamese restaurants. Fish ball type products are not Yuye's favourite so this dish wasn't the highlight of the meal for him. I liked the fish cakes however, just because I love the combination of sour, chilli and fish sauce flavours. I especially liked the little bits of cucumber in the sauce which provided me with entertainment as I clumsily picked them out of the sauce while we waited for our soups to arrive.

Tord Mun Pla (fish cakes) - $8.50

There were only two soups on the lunch menu (I was told the dinner and lunch menus were the same over the phone, however, I don't believe this was true) so the wise choice was to order one of each. I ordered the tom yum soup with prawns which the menu again explains as 'the most famous of all Thai hot and sour soup flavoured with fish sauce, lemongrass and lime leaves'. I agree that it's probably the most famous soups in the Thai cuisine that is known to western society. So much so that many non-Thai Asian restaurants have tom yum as a noodle or soup flavour. In my opinion, it sums up Thai flavours very well, incorporating sour, sweet and chilli components while accentuating the hero of the dish - the prawns (or other main ingredient of your choosing). However, I was slightly disappointed with Nytiate's version of this otherwise fabulous dish. The soup was a bit bland, a bit watery and lacked depth. In fact, it looked so boring that I had to move bits of coriander to the centre of the bowl for my camera to even focus. It wasn't bad by any means but it definitely didn't excite me.

Tom Yum Soup with prawns - $9.90

Yuye got the Tom Kha soup with chicken which is a 'delicious aromatic Thai coconut soup flavoured with galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, lime leaves, lemongrass and chilli'. I've never ordered this soup before as tom yum was always at the tip of my cravings and I always thought ordering the same dishes at different restaurants provided the best comparisons. So when I tasted Yuye's soup after tasting my not-so-exciting tom yum, I was instantly sold. It was so rich, smooth and creamy with just the right burst of lime flavour that after one spoonful, I was ready to chow down the whole bowl. Yuye wasn't happy at the idea and pointed out that I had in fact ordered my own poor little soup that had since been demoted to a corner of the table.

Tom Kha with chicken - $7.90

Flare Contemporary Grill, St Kilda

I've recently gotten myself addicted to purchasing group discount coupons from places such as Scoopon and OurDeal. They offer great value meals to restaurants that I would otherwise not visit. Sometimes I feel like I don't have the motivation to go out at night, just getting to that age I guess. However these coupons have an expiry date so I have 'no choice' but to go and the great thing is it comes with the bonus of possibly finding a great restaurant.

I purchased 3 such coupons for Flare Contemporary Grill in St Kilda for $59.95 each. Each provided a 3 course meal for 2 people and a glass of white or red Wild Oats wine. Newly opened late last year, the executive chef, Chris Wade, has worked with the likes of Gordon Ramsay and George Calombaris. Bringing his own 'flare' to the St Kilda region.

One issue with having a restaurant in such a busy area is parking availability, pretty much the only things available are paid parking. This poses an issue, the time taken to eat. I paid for 2 hours of parking thinking, 2 hours is plenty for dinner. Right? Frankly not.

We were seated in a very 'red' area directly under several huge red lights (red is an understatement) but I really did like the atmosphere. The dark, modern interior provided a somewhat private feel where we could talk amongst our table without being 'in your face', even my dad liked it which is a big deal. This is the reason why all my photos had red tinges to them.

The service was reasonably good at the beginning. Our orders were taken quickly, water and wine were served without any issues and we were happily settled and chitchatting amongst ourselves. As we had a group of 8 people with only 3 coupons, 2 people ordered a la carte. Yuye and Jeff ordered their own dishes while we took our picks from the special coupon menu.

For entrees we had a choice between Spiced Calamari, Sauce Thai & Coconut or the Duck & Truffle Parfait, Madeira Bubbles, Charred Sourdough. I ordered the Duck and Truffle Parfait, which was quite nice although small. The duck parfait was fragrant and delicious but sadly lacked the lovely truffle flavour that was suggested which I only found a tiny hint of. The sourdough was a bit hard and crunchy for my liking and tasted a tiny bit burnt (but maybe that was deliberate?) although it did go well with the parfait. It came with a balsamic sauce and some sort of green sauce which I believe may have been pea with butter. Yuye said it just tasted like butter… What I really didn't understand was the madeira bubbles. I know that Madeira is meant to be a wine but I have never tried it before so I had no idea what to expect. It didn't really taste like much to me. In my opinion, its existence was only good for entertainment purposes. Taste wise, the dish would have done fine without it.

The greatest thing about being a blogger is the 'right' to taste everyone's dishes. Yes, it's for a good cause! The spiced calamari was surprisingly very good. This dish was well received by everyone who tried it. The calamari was tender and juicy, the sauce was just the right consistency and tasted fantastic. I regretted not ordering it instead!

Yuye ordered the Grilled Quail Legs with Roquette, Tomato & Saltana Burnt Butter for $14. He just ended up passing them around the table as he got quite a few on the plate. I enjoyed them, although there was nothing that stood out about this dish.