Lotus Thai, Chatswood

Lotus Thai

Group-buy coupons - love them or hate them, they're definitely a way to dine at a fraction of the price you would normally pay, and often I find they're a good way of trying out new restaurants. Most of the time, I tend to buy coupons to places that I've heard of before, but sometimes it leads me to discover new places that I've never even heard of.

House wine (included in deal)

Lotus Thai was one of those places. After wandering around the apartment complex which it is located in for a few minutes, trying to find the place (tip: look for the string of neon lights), we finally settled down into a spacious dining area which was relatively quiet on this Thursday night. We selected a bottle of house white to start, which is included in the deal.

Chicken and lemongrass soup

There was no need to order as the deal includes a set 6-course shared menu for two, for $49. The chicken and lemongrass soup was swift to arrive and there was enough for two small bowls of soup per person, plus a little extra. The soup was heady with lemongrass and quite flavoursome, reminding me of some of the clear Chinese soups that my mother makes. Hidden in the soup were pieces of chicken on the bone.

Seafood salad

Next up was a seafood salad - a mish mash of assorted seafood including mussels, prawns, scallops and squid tossed with salad greens and herbs. The seafood looked like the frozen sort and the dressing was quite spicy. Not being a fan of coriander (which there was quite a lot of) and not being able to take a lot of spicyness, this dish wasn't my favourite.

Sour and spicy beef salad

The beef salad was much the same although, contrary to the name of the dish, the dressing on this one wasn't spicy, which made it a lot more bearable for me to eat! The beef slices were tender and the chunks of cucumber made it a refreshing salad.

Crispy squid

Things looked up when the crispy squid arrived on the table. It was piping hot and quite possibly the crispiest squid I have ever eaten. The batter was fresh and although a little thick, it was a crispy casing for the tender squid within. This dish was polished off within minutes as we couldn't help but keep popping the little nuggets of squid in our mouths.

Massaman curry

The massaman curry came with a tub of rice which was perfect for absorbing all the sauce. This is a mild curry with a coconutty flavour, and soft tender chunks of beef brisket throughout. Having never been to Thailand and not eating Thai food very often, I'm unsure of how true to an authentic Massaman curry this is - all I know is that it was delicious.

Mango pancakes

To finish off, we had two mango pancakes which held some slightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh mango pieces - just like the ones you get at yum cha. Though it didn't seem like a lot of food, we were pleasantly surprised to find we were quite full and satisfied.

Lotus Thai

Penguin says Feed Me dined courtesy of Smarter Daily Deal. Check out Smarter Daily Deal for more info on daily deals.

Lotus Thai
Suite 2, 9 Railway St
Chatswood NSW 2067
Ph: +61 2 8065 4123
Open Monday to Saturday, 11am-2.30pm and 5pm-10pm


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