restaurants

Jinda Thai Restaurant

Jinda Thai must be the most well-known and highest-rated Thai restaurant in Melbourne, and I was excited to finally see what the hype was about. We dined as a group of 6 for a friend’s birthday for lunch (note: they do not take bookings for lunch), and easily got a seat as it was a weekday. The venue is large, spacious and clean, with a rustic vibe. The staff are warm and welcoming and the menu is extensive. Our waiter was happy to recommend us their most popular dishes. We ordered a huge variety of dishes, including: - Moo Ping Sticky Rice - these were grilled pork skewers served with sticky rice and nam jim. The skewers were amazing and the pork was very flavoursome and charred nicely. It went perfectly with the sweet and sour homemade nam jim and the sticky rice too. - Som Tum Thai - an essential in Thai food. The salad was light and refreshing, sweet and sour, and had a nice kick from the spice. - Red Curry Roast Duck - an amazing coconut-y curry, with a variety of tropical fruits and delicious roast duck. The consistency is more ‘soup-y’, and it goes perfectly with rice. It’s mild in spice but I found it not spicy at all! - Panang Curry Beef - this curry had a thicker consistency, making it perfect to scoop up with roti. It was coconut-y and sweet, and perfect for those who prefer to have something non-spicy. - Deep Fried Fish in Tamarind Sauce - an amazing dish! The tamarind sauce was sweet and sour and so addictive! The deep fried barramundi fillet was crispy and absorbed the flavour from the sauce. An epic dish (and one of their most popular). - Soft Shell Crab in Curry Sauce - another delightful dish. It comes with two large whole soft shell crabs which are fried golden and crispy. The yellow curry sauce is thick and cooked with egg, which clings onto the soft shell crab and adds a nice flavour and soft texture too. We also got Coconut Rice (4 serves) and Roti on the side to go with the dishes. The rice is delightful and fragrant, and the roti is perfectly soft yet crisp. It was definitely one of the best, if not best, Thai food experiences in we’ve had in Melbourne. The food is decently priced and everything tastes amazing and authentic. Definitely a must-try if you haven’t already!