Thai Passion+

Thai Passion+

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I’ve never really considered World Square as a destination for food or shopping. It’s developers had grand ideas back in its conception yet it hasn’t really made it due to the fact it’s smack-bang in the middle of the CBD retail core (ie spend frivolously) and the no-frills tight-arse Haymarket/Chinatown precenct. The lifestyle outlets have come and gone, the Freedom-owned Bayswiss is still struggling and the seafood place with its handful of defrosted green prawns for us to buy is now geared more towards lunch-time takeaway punters wanting frozen fish and chips with tartare from a squeeze tetra-pak. When a $2 shop moves into the neighbourhood, as one did here, you know things are on the decline.

Oh, how very sad.
It’s not all that bad, folks, so let me brush away the gloom I’ve just portrayed.
When it comes to food there are many decent options. There’s a pretty decent cafe on Liverpool Street that serves up a mean coffee (providing the little muscly guy makes it), Din Tai Fung is very good, the pastries from the asian bakery are worthy of trying again as are the sweets from D’Ough Espresso. If you want good Japanese, Makoto it also a trusty favourite.
For lunch today the option was Thai Passion+, easily found by the big bull statue with the big you-know-whats hanging between its back legs. Rub them with both hands and you get good luck. Seriously! I’ve been here once before and vowed to bring back Mr K to try the pork dish I had previously as it was that good.

Seeing it was a warm day a cooling refreshment in the form of Thai ice tea (3) was more than approproate. A bit stronger in flavour than the norm with a slight (smoky?) depth and high cane sugar sweetness.

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The moo ping (8.5) was by far the highlight of the meal. Four skewers of ever-so-tender slightly fatty pork that would easily rival its counterpart two blocks south at Chat Thai. Seriously. The other two dishes we ordered paled in comparison, sadly.

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The first time I tried this dish (the above pic, that is) I was severely impressed. The bbq pork (11.5) was melt-in-the-mouth tender, the garlic content was sky-high and the tamarind sauce side was a perfect balance of sharpness against fatty garlicy porkness. For a brief moment I was infatuated. Today, oh dear, I felt deflated. Where was the punch? And why the hell did you guys serve up shitty sweet chilli rather than tangy tamarind sauce. Am I in a suburban foodhall?? Please!

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I find it difficult to choose a dish when I know there is crispy pork as an option. Beautiful layers of tender meat with equivalent layers of juicy fat. Sadly, the khow kapraw moo krob (9.5) didn’t deliver. The flavour was spot on … a perfect balance of chilli and saltyness, yet the pork was over-cooked to the point of Saharan-dryness where I needed a frequent sip of water to manage it down. What a shame.

One out of three is not all that bad, as today established. I am on the fussy side, after all,  so these guys deserve some credit. Hopefully a third visit will offset todays disappointments.
  • Thai Passion+
  • 12/123 Liverpool Street
  • Haymarket 2000
  • 9264 5665
  • Thai Passion Plus at World Square on Urbanspoon
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