Ying Thai 2, Lygon St, Carlton, Melbourne

April 24, 2016

Ying Thai 2 is a branch of Ying Thai at Lygon St, Carlton. Although I would usually not eat Thai food or any other type of cuisine other than Italian here at Lygon St, my other half had told me that he wanted to go to Ying Thai and that there was a dish that was a must-try. So, without further discussion, we decided to head our way there from the CBD. Ying Thai is an authentic, humble and very green Thai eatery. There has been many buzz previously about this place but every time I do go to Melbourne, I tend to wander off elsewhere, by what I mean is that I would go to other restaurants to eat or to try. When you do try look for it, it may be very crowded and you may have to wait for a bit for a table but they do serve their dishes pretty quickly. Plus, indoor and outdoor seatings are both available.

Many artwork of traditional cartoons on the whole left side of the restaurant's walls.

'Yum Sam Grob' (Crispy Pork Skin: $14.9) is a mixed salad with prawns, squid, vegetables and their special sauce topped with Crispy Pork Skin. You may choose Crispy Fish skin if you would like a more seafood based and/or if you do not want pork. I wonder why this dish is so popular and I quite understand why. Being presented nicely in a green leaf plate (which actually reminds me of a similar plate I have at home as well..) and topped with coriander, it may seem like a healthy dish when you know you are ordering a salad. But then, when it comes out, there seems to be more meat/seafood than the mixed leaves which I am not going to complain since it is great having a salad but then the meat or toppings isn't limited as many salads do tend to have more greens rather than its dressing or toppings.

When ordering this, remember that this would take you to Thailand, bringing you street food but served nicely and you are eating at a proper restaurant. Another thing that I may add is that with this dish, you will be able to get your buds tasting the sweet, salty and sweet, as well as crunchy and crispy through each of the different elements within the dish. The salad is placed at the bottom so do give it a good mix if you prefer but if not, then start digging into the well marinated prawns and squid giving you a sweet but sticky as well as a salty base then go into your Crispy pork skin and I have to say that they are not stingy with the portion and cutting. The Crispy pork skin were great, big chunks and crispy throughout with a more tangy but sweet marination as well. Having cashews and the salad as well as onions and tomatoes here and there allowed the dish to have a brightness and also makes it more refreshing than the warmth of the cooked seafood and hot crispy pork skin.

Be careful as it can get a bit spicy for some but just right for others. It was a bit spicy to me but then my level of spiciness that I can handle isn't much but I did not mind it at all, even if the spices were hitting my tongue, I still wanted to dig in for more. A must have and it will leave you smiling throughout the meal. A great dish to share as I don't recommend it having it alone as it can get quite repetitious in terms of taste and also it's better to order a few dishes and try as many as you can with your friends or family or date. No wonder this dish is popular and what everyone raves about when they hear about Ying Thai.

'Pud Thai' (Chicken: $15.90) is a classic Thai noodle dish but this is one of the noodle dishes I always opt to buy rather than the other options. A thin rice noodle stir fried with the meat of your choice with bean sprouts, vegetables, dried shrimpes, crushed peanuts and egg. Sounds simple? But when you do have a taste of the dish, you then realise why every Asian country have their own traditional, classic and signature rice or noodle dish.

Having the crushed peanuts on top allows you to mix the noodles when it arrives in front of you to have that equal amount as well as balance. If you do have peanut allergies, do tell the waiter when you order so that they won't put it on top or even, you could ask for it to be put aside. I'm sure they won't mind. The pad thai was rather sweet overall and the soy sauce colour was not very visible but amongst it, you can taste the garlic, chilli and the other spices they have added in combined well and made the dish delicious.