Itsara Thai Restaurant

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It's embarrassing really. I am obviously much more interested in food than writing, which doesn't bode well for my ambition to be a 'proper writer' one day, because every time I go out for dinner, I forget to take photos of the food for my Weekend Notes articles. As soon as I see my dinner I am in like Flynn, only remembering as I am devouring the final morsels that I really should have taken a picture or two for my review.

It was a rather blustery Saturday night when five of us descended on Itsara Thai in Nedlands for a girls-night-out dinner. All having one or more children under five, we were happy for an early start, so as soon as the restaurant opened at 6pm we were already seated, debating over the menu. I am proud to admit I am an early eater, always have been. It's a genetic thing: we have been raised to eat early then spend the rest of the evening doing other things. Such as sleeping. I am not one of those people who head out for an 8pm dinner booking. There are certain advantages to being an early diner – you can usually get reservations even at the last minute, and because restaurants are usually quiet, you get quick and attentive service.

Because of the unsociable hour I like to eat, I am used to eating in practically empty restaurants, so imagine our surprise when Itsara was busy by 6.15pm and packed by 6.30pm. Had we stumbled across a rare community of early diners, or is Itsara so popular people come in whenever they are told just to be able to eat their dinner there? After all, according to the 2011 Perth Good Food Guide, Itsara is one of Perth's best Asian restaurants.



Although there were a few dishes on the menu that we were told were unavailable, presumably for seasonal reasons, there were plenty of dishes to choose from. The nectarous duck curry ($33.50) had been recommended by the GFG reviewer so it was first on our order and we were glad we did. I would love to show you a picture of the fresh lychees, pineapple, bright green kaffir lime leaves and delicate duck meat, but the five of us had devoured it within seconds. So too the Stir Fried Tom Yum (stir-fried Tom Yum spiced king prawns, fish and scallops, lime leaves, galangal chilli and lemongrass $35.50) and Pad Med Mamuend (stir-friend chicken with cashews, chilli, spring onion and capsicum $25.50).

I personally found the Make Up Hen (char-grilled chicken with mango, spring onion and shallot salad, cashews and pineapple sweet chilli sauce $24.50) a little vinegary for my tastes, with a few too many raw red onions, but I was the only one at the table who had this complaint.

Itsara is a high end restaurant, small with a classy interior and appealing outdoor area with lush greenery and a fountain. It got pretty loud inside when all the tables had filled, and I could imagine the quieter outdoor tables would be very popular when the weather warmed up a bit. It must have been all those happy early diners glad they had a table! Main meals range between $23.50 and $39.50, and starters range between $14.50 and $17.50.

All the starters have fabulous names such as Pretending Tiger and Loving Couple, so much easier and fun to request, especially when you are unsure of how to pronounce the Thai. Itsara is currently BYO, although they soon expect their liquor licence. Desserts cost between $9.50 and $12.50 and include the incredible sounding ginger and kaffir lime crème brulee ($9.50) and Ebony and Ivory, black and white sticky rice with fresh mango and vanilla icecream ($12.50).

#nedlands
#restaurants
#western_suburbs
%wnperth