Paradise Road is a new kid on the Kingsway block – to me, anyway. Ever since it opened, it’s always been That Place That We Really Should Check Out… said while we’re on our way out of Kimchi Hut. I recently decided that I was not happy with my local Thai takeaway’s version of pad thai, so when we were planning our usual Glen Waverley dinner date, I suggested we finally try this place out.
Pad Thai (chicken) $16.90 – prices range from $15.90 (vegies and tofu) to $21.90 (seafood)
Again, eyes on the prize, the chicken pad thai definitely made up for the lacklustre one I had elsewhere. They actually had peanuts, for one. They were relatively dry (as in, not too much sauce) and the bean sprouts were delightfully fresh. It was a little on the sweet side, though.
Sizzling Thai Mixed Grill (special) $27.90 – nam tok sirloin beef, barbecue chicken, calamari, King prawns, “traditional sauce”
Since it was our first time coming here, we decided on the mixed Thai grill from the specials menu to sample as many of their offerings as possible. I’m not very familiar with Thai food, so the vaguely named “traditional sauce” took us by surprise. It was overwhelmingly spicy, and there was way too much of it. Thankfully we asked them to pour it over the food at the table, so it didn’t actually coat much of it. Tread carefully if you don’t like hot stuff!
Papaya salad – accompaniment to mixed grill
It did come with a papaya salad as a side, I guess to kind of cool it down? It was very sour, though. Maybe if we ordered rice, I would have enjoyed this more than I did.
Coconut juice $4
Thank goodness I was spoiling myself this time and got a coconut juice. This was your bog-standard sweetened coconut drink you can get anywhere along Kingsway.
Soft shell crab with mixed vegetables and black pepper sauce (available with “exotic Thai curry sauce”) $23.90
A lovely thing also from the specials menu was the soft shell crab in black pepper sauce. The battered crab started off nice and crispy, and soaked up just enough of the sauce. The vegetables were also nicely crunchy. After consulting the menu again, apparently it also comes with a “exotic Thai curry sauce”. I’m… intrigued enough to maybe try that one next time. With rice.
Roti $3 (2 pieces)
My friends surprised me by ordering roti. I’ve never actually had roti with Thai food before. This was kind of tough rather than flaky, and served in a weird, rolled up sort of way. To be fair, they also did want to order rice, but since we were getting the pad thai, I thought it would be too much food. We probably should have ordered it instead of the roti, though.
| Food |     |
| We took a chance with not ordering familiar dishes, but on the whole, it paid off! Definitely looking forward to coming back and seeing how they do with the “usual” favourites, though. | |
| Ambience |    |
| Not as crowded as other Kingsway places, but strangely dark and glare-y at the same time. Very comfortable seats. After 7pm, it always looks crowded, so I highly recommend booking, especially since you can do it online. | |
| Location |    |
| Technically off the main Kingsway street, it’s worth the trot down from the multi-level carpark. If you’re lucky enough to get a park in the “middle” carpark, it’s awesome. | |
| Service |     |
| Booked online around lunchtime for a dinner spot, and got an email confirmation before I left work. But then, I got a phone call the next night asking me if I was still coming in. So I guess that needs work. At the actual restaurant, the waitresses were very cheerful and friendly. |