Peace Harmony - Vegetarian Thai Cuisine

44 Erskine Street

Sydney NSW 2000

Ph 02 9262 2247

Website http://www.peaceharmony.com.au

I had been recommended this restaurant by Trish & her boyfriend, who raved on about it saying it was the best Thai food they've ever had, and you wouldn't guess it was vegetarian at all. Joseph also saying that he would turn complete vegetarian if all food tasted like this.

WOW. Must be good? So after a day in the city, Richard and i came here. Starved, with high expectations hehe.

Roasted Duck Curry S $9.50 L $12

Veggie roasted duck in tasty red curry with

tomato, pineapple and vegetables.

The curry was the highlight of my meal, i kept drenching my rice with it, it was so tasty with lots of vegies & yummy pieces of sweet pineapple (this topped the curry off completely i loved it). It was a very smooth curry, unlike some places where you can sort of see the layer of oil separate from the curry.

Spicy Fried Rice S $9.50 L $12

Special fried rice with veggie meat, tofu,

vegetables, basil and chilli paste.

This fried rice was soooo chilli, i was constantly reaching for my water hehe. Richard loved it though, he can take some mean chilli in his food (i so jealous). It was however slightly bland in taste, despite the strong colours which was probably light soy sauce?

Tom Yum $5.00

Thai style spicy and sour soup with veggie king

prawn, baby corn, mushroom and Thai herb.

I haven't had tom yum soup this spicy & flavorful before, and was quite impressed seeing as this was completely vegetarian. The soup was very dark in color, and all the flavors penetrated each piece of veggie. Richard thought it was a bit salty, but that's how i like my food so no complaints from me!

Veggie Drum Stick (4pcs) $6.00

Beancurd sheet rolled on stick, deep fried, served with

sweet chilli sauce.

These were delicious little morsels, it was like chewing on a crunchy mini drumstick, & it wasn't overly oily. I was hoping for a more meaty sort of texture as to mimic real chicken meat, but nonetheless it was still a great entree.

Mind you, all this was between 2 people, and we totally over-ordered because we were soo hungry. We ended up doggy bagging everything but the entree, and i had it for breakfast the next day mm :)

The service was very friendly, the food is definitely good enough to come back to again & again, as there is such an extensive menu, of which i don't have t trawl through and find which ones i can or can't eat - as it is ALL PURE vegetarian :D

Thanks again Trish for tellin me about this little gem of a restaurant!

Holy Basil

So i've come back here twice in the past couple of weeks, giving them yet another chance /slash my friend's picked this joint for a catch up. So being a hit & miss restaurant, i tried not to judge.

Past visit reviews here & here.

Durian Shakes

But it didn't help, when our fruit shakes came out watery, and funny tasting. I didn't take a photo of my avocado & durian shake, but it was an off color, & watery tasting, and also a bit wierd tasting (Bich said it tasted like the avocado was off). Not a great start to the meal...

Chicken Pad Thai

Jeremy & Bich both shared this & the Duck curry, and having both tried these dishes before, they both agreed it was nicer the first time they had it 2 mths ago. The noodles in the pad thai weren't full coated in the sauce, so flavour was lacking.

Pad Kee Mao

Stir fried flat rice noodle with chilli, basil, chinese brocolli, capsicum, onions, bamboo, mushroom & carrot. Because i'd been here a few times already, i wanted to try something else on the menu. There was a good mixture of vegies in this dish which i liked, but again the flavour was a bit too bland for me. It was a fairly large portion, so i was really stuffed (too stuffed for desert hehe)

Duck Red Curry

The curry was a beautiful vibrant red, and while there were no complaints of the actual curry, there was minimal duck pieces in this dish. A disappointment to my meat eating friends. I would've liked it though, as there was quite a lot of vegies in there that i saw.

We asked for desert (despite our full stomachs) because after coming here 3 times, we've never tried dessert! Unfortunately they didn't have any deserts available... it was a friday night, roughly 7.30pm when we finished eating, and we really couldn't believe they had no desserts on offer??

* * *

So this being the 5th time i've come to HOLY BASIL/ i really do just keep hoping that they will improve, learn from mistakes, handle things abit more better (and improve in the kitchen).

This time it was me Anita & Trang. Trang had never been here, so it was her first time hehe.

watermelon shake, & coconut drink

The watermelon drink was really refreshing, as it was a hot day it got really watery quickly. So be the end of the meal, it was mainly just water with a slight hint of watermelon flavour.

Green curry with vegies

I was shocked at the colour of the curry, and it looked like clumpy bits of coconut milk on the top. it wasn't a very creamy curry (which is what i prefer) but i did like the variety of vegies included which were eggplant (yum) carrots, bamboo, broccoli & mushrooms.

Chicken Lad Naa

This dish was vibrantly colourful, & piled up nice & high. The stir fried flat rice noodle was topped with chicken, vegies, and then gravy ladled over the top.

soft shell crab

Anita chose something different this time, had this soft shell crab served with chilli jam, and had this with rice. "i've had better soft shell crab" she said. Mainly out in the city. At a price of $14.90, i think it was overpriced..

Trang's Lad Naa, after eating from the top down, she was left with just a lot of stir fried rice noodles, which lacked any nice flavour.

We eagerly asked if there was any dessert & hoorah!!, there was :)

Sticky rice with coconut & mango

The sticky rice was sitting over a pool of passionfruit juice & pulp, which is the first time i've seen anything like it. The coconut milk was served in a seperate shot glass, and half a mango sliced up on the other side of the plate. I was really happy with desert, & its presentation. I'd say this was the best presented dish i've had here.

Having been here so many times now, i'd say the food here is really just average. It's the location, decor and busy crowd that attracts customers to Holy Basil, but seeing a fair amount of their dishes, i wouldn't come here just for the food (maybe only, for the dessert hehe).

Holy Basil

233A Canley Vale Road

Canley Heights NSW 216

After enjoying a dinner here a month or so ago, here i am again, having lunch with an old friend. She has driven past the joint, and always seeing lines for dinner, but hadn't ever tried, so i suggested based on my past experience.

Avocado & Durian Shake

Lychee Shake

The shakes here are really nice, they don't stinge on the main fruits, and its not just a lot of ice either. These are REAL fruit shakes, and i almost always order one whenever i'm here.

Cute take away box - no plastic containers in sight!

After our orders have been taken, i ask for a take away box. & explain that i need it right now (and not after the meal) because i'm on a portion control diet, and need to half my meals haha. So this cute chinese movie style take out box is presented, the first i've ever seen out in my area!

Seafood Pad Thai

Kim likes the pad thai, and so does her two year old daughter Gemma. Who is happily eating on her own! No assistance from Mommy at all.

Stir fry basil rice noodles

My rice noodles were drenched in oil, my lips were extremely glossy while eating this dish. It was a little bit sickening having so much oil.. even on the basil it was too overwhelming. Halving my meal was a definite need, had wayy too much calories.

* * * * *

A few weeks after, Richard wanted to go back to holy basil for dinner, and we had to wait about half an hour outside (on a seat thank goodness) before getting a table.

The first time we ate at Holy Basil they didn't have a proper drinks menu. But now they have shiny new A4 fold up menu's for both food & drinks separately, which was nice to see :)

It took forever to flag down some menu's so Richard just walked up and got one himself. It was also hard to get someone to take down our order. The restaurant was really busy that night, but we had to wait a really long time for everything and we were so hungry.

I ordered a coconut drink this time. The coconut flesh in it, was really soft, and there was not much of it at all :(

Som Tam (Papaya Salad Thai Style) $9.90

For $9.90 this dish was good value. Richard was suffering from mouth burn as soon as he started eating, as there was so much chilli in this. I had only a few strands of the papaya & my mouth was burning like anything (yeah i'm really weak when it comes to chilli eating).

Khao Pad Sapparot (thai fried rice with fresh pineapple) $12.90

My thai fried rice, disappointingly, was not served in a pineapple halve (as pictured in the menu). It was quite plain, nothing real special about it. I had asked for an extra fried egg on top (which they forgot) but quickly came back with on a separate plate. But the YOLK had been broken at the bottom noooo..... yolk wastage :(

Extra fried egg $3

While we were eating, a couple who were sitting down for about 5-10 minutes, was asked by staff to stand up while they re-arrange some tables. I thought this was really rude .. they were left standing for about 5 minutes, and seated again not far from where they were sitting originally. & then shockingly, were asked to stand up again so staff could move some more tables around. I thought this was ridiculous.. Once a patron has sat down, why would you ask them to stand up again, unless they were leaving?? I would've left to be honest.. not to be difficult, but we came here to sit & eat, not to be asked to stand up and wait around while they co-ordinate the furniture.

When it came to the end of our meal, we didn't want to wait for someone to get our bill so we just walked up to pay. And were left waiting another 10 minutes (seriously, i hate waiting so much). They didn't charge us for the glass of wine that Richard had, and we weren't bothered to say anything so just pretended we didn't know.

I'm not sure if i want to come back here again? Maybe if i was eating meat again, i'd come back & try the duck curry (so far everyone i know who has tried it, really liked it) but chances are that will be never..

I would like to come back here one more time, to see if they have cleaned up their act (and maybe gotten a new kitchen manager?) But that won't be anytime soon. For now.. my next thai restaurant to try is the one on St Johns Road (does anyone know the name?) I drive past it alot, its got hairdressers & grocery stores next to it.

Would you have mentioned a missing item on the bill - if the restaurant wasn't that great? OR, would you mention it at all?

Holy Basil

233A Canley Vale Road

Canley Heights NSW 2166

So Thai food, is a favourite of mine at the moment (and has been for the last4-5 mths!) I really can't get enough of it. So when i was told there was a new thai place opening up in Canley, i organised a get together..

The restaurant can seat quite a few number of people, and it also has outside seating (but i think only in the daytime, there were not enough lights for dining outside at night yet). Decorated with statues, plants & lanterns, i love the ambience it creates, walking through the doors you can hear the clanging of pots and things from the open kitchen in the back.

Bich had booked a table for us, (just incase it was busy & we didn't have to wait).

Menu's were handed out, and an extensive one at that. A huge A3 page, double sided, so much to choose from no wonder the waiter was coming back about 3 times before we were ready to order hehe.

We were told that there was no drinks menu, so when asked - the waitress just listed what they had. I went with an avocado & durian shake (my fav drink at the moment). Thanh requested a watermelon drink, but moments later they said there was no more..

avocado & durian Shake

Seriously this is the best avocado durian shake i've ever had! It was lusciously thick, with a very strong flavour of durian (which means they weren't stingy on the durian (like most other places are). Served in a round wine glass, with a thick straw -it was a meal in itself i struggled to finish this hehe.

vegetarian curry puffs (2 pieces) $3.90

savoury vegetable triangles potatoes, peas, carrots, corn & onion

fried until crispy golden brown & served with sweet sour dipping sauce

The curry puff pastry was nice & crisp, with a fair amount of filling in it. I ALWAYS order curry puffs when i eat out at thai, mianly because they are the only vegetarian options available! But this place has the meat version as well (for the ame price i think)

goong hom pha (prawns in a blanket) $3.90

larb ped (spicy duck mince salad) $14.90

This is a laos/thai classic, combining duck's brerast mince, spanish onions, coriander, shallots, fresh chilli & mint leaves dressed in lime juice.

ox tongue $8.90

Marinated grilled ox tongue, thinly sliced & served with dipping sauce.

duck gang dang (red curry)

Made with a red spicy base of red chilli paste, sweet basil, kaffir lime leaves, & garlic infused in coconut milk served with seasonal vegetables eggplant, green beans, zucchini & pumpkin.

Pad thai (vegies + tofu) $9.90

optional egg $1.50

With the option of having a fried egg on top - i snapped up this straight away! Fried sunny side up is my FAVOURITE way to have eggs, and i asked if the yolk can be runny :)

The pad thai had alot of fresh bean sprouts, and the noodles were perfectly cooked (some places have the noodles over cooked and it goes all mushy). Flavour was awesome, its hard to find a place that serves their pad thai right, and this would be the 2nd best pad thai i've ever had (the first being a restaurant in Newtown back in my nonblogging days)

chicken pad thai $10.90

After eating, staff came out to say that there was actually watermelon, and we could order it if we wanted to. We all shook our heads.. we were all full and pretty much finished for the night, until he mentioned 'on the house' haha :) So we all got cmplimentary glasses of their watermelon shake (which i think had lychee in it aswell). I didnt try any because i'm allergic (yes i'm allergic to watermelon fruit!) but everyone said it was beautiful & refreshing.

complimentary watermelon drinks

The owner had come to ask us how everything was, and also mentioned they are going to open up the outdoor area soon as well, and try to turn it into a cafe style place on weekends, somewhere people can come to read the paper, have a drink, in a relaxing atmosphere.

I'd say this place has the nicest decor, and biggest drinks bar avail (and offering special drinks that no other places have).

We really enjoyed dining here, and when i got home i straight away joined the facebook group for 'Holy Basil'!

This is definitely now my favourite Thai restaurant out west, and will be coming back again soon enough.

Capital Thai

21A Campbell Street

Haymarket Sydney NSW 2000

We attended JC's birthday dinner here tonight. I picked up a very stressful JC, then Ann, Nam & Richard, we carpooled it to the city. He's been planning his birthday for 2-3 weeks now, & originally had plans to eat at Criniti's Darling Harbour, but they were newly opened, actually they planned to open the restaurant two night's before JC's birthday.. but actually was opening on the night of JC's bday instead. So he changed locations. This last minute change was a bit hard, trying to find a restaurant that would accomodate 40 people!

Richard & I were the lone vegetarians, so we were sat next to JC's work mate (who doesnt eat red meat/chicken).

We ordered some drinks since we were early.

L-R
thai beauty (cocktail) - malibu, creme de cacao, fresh creme, pineapple juice & coconut juice & syrup
virgin mary (mocktail) tomato juice, lemon juice, tabasco sauce, worcestershire sauce & black pepper
capital thai (mocktail) - lime juice, O.J, pineapple juice, bitters & grenadine

My thai beauty was really nice! Coconut & Cream yummy. Richard likes to order 'wierd' things on the menu. & wierd he got. Funnily enough, he liked it. I tried abit, but i hated it, it was disgusting. We got JC a mocktail, & he told everyone it was a cocktail LOL, suckerrr anyone who reads this WILL KNOW THE TRUTH!

So what JC organised was the 'banquet'. It cost about $38.50 per person for entrees, a couple of mains (to share), desert, tea & coffee. So there were about 3 mains for about 4-5 people to share.

Mixed Entree
Fish cakes, satay chicken, spring roll & curry puff

The entree's didn't look very appetising, but by this time everyone was pretty hungry, so chomped it all down.

Soon after, Richard, me & the other girl got our ala carte food we ordered off the menu.

Seafood Pad Thai

Tofu & vegie pad thai

garlic rice

Green curry with vegies

Me & Richard ate half of eachothers plates, and were quite full. The pad thai wasn't the best i've ever had, but the green curry was really creamy & spicy, with broad beans, baby corn, carrot, brocolli, mushrooms & snow peas. The garlic rice was not garlic-enough for my liking, but i wish we ordered a larger bowl of it hehe.

Everything after this was part of the $45 per person deal.

beef massamun curry
a rich and aromatic curry from the south of thailand cooked with coconut milk, toasted peanut, bayleaves, potato, carrot & tamarind.

Chicken green curry
medium hot home made curry paste cooked with coconut milk, bamboo shoots, thai baby eggplants, green beans & sweet basil leaves

chicken pad thai
famous thai noodle stir fried with egg, meat, beansprout, tofu, & seasonal vegies

pumpkin stir-fried
chef recipe of stir fried thai young pumpkin with meat, egg, shallots, & sweet basil leaves

seafood combination
stir fried a seafood mix of seafood king prawns, squid, fish fillet, mussel, capsicum, onions, shallot, spring onions with chilli jam in tasty sauce

desert
sticky rice with taro & coconut milk

The desert portion was way too small (even after i had some of the birthday cake). Actually, i didnt get my own portion i was having spoons from a few people's bowls hehe..

Tea & Coffee though, were not offered to us until we asked for it. This was stupid actually, it's part of the deal. Ended up having green tea for most of us, & some people had a coffee (it was quite late when we finished, about 11pm or so).

Think $38.50 per person for the food that everyone got tonight, was slightly overpriced. Even though some plates were empty, others half half to a quarter filled of food still, they could of brought down the price, considering there were 40 people dining at their restaurant.