Located in the heart of Mount Hawthorn, Galangal has always been an institution for good, authentic Thai food. From hearing a lot about Galangal, it has always been on my list of must go restaurants. Last Friday, we had a spontaneous decision to head to Galangal for dinner and was very lucky to get a booking 30 minutes before we arrive due to a cancellation.

When we arrived, the restaurant was busy with occupied tables. Some celebrating a special occasion, work dinner, date night or a casual night out. We started with a bang with the  Tom Yum Goong (E $12, M $24) which is a hot and sour soup comprising of lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf with mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and tiger prawns. The Tom Yum Goong was quite comparable to other good ones that I have tried. It was flavourful and sour with a really good chilli kick. If you love it spicy, you will definitely love the Tom Yum Goong. 

Our main dishes came not long after along with fluffy, steamed Jasmine rice. We had the Pla Rad Prik ($30) which is a fried barramundi fillet with garlic, chilli and tamarind hot sauce. The fried barramundi was fried to perfection. Crispy on the outside revealing the smooth and tender barramundi in the inside. The garlic, chilli and tamarind hot sauce added a bit of sweetness and spicy textures to the fried barramundi.

Next up, we had the roast duck in red curry ($28) with lychee and cherry tomatoes. To me, this is by far the best red duck curry I had in Perth. The red curry was bursting of rich, heavenly flavours with a hint of spice and the presence of a lovely coconut flavour. The duck itself was cooked perfectly with a crispy skin and was just so juicy and tender. It’s a clear, definite winning dish.

We also had the twice roasted pork belly ($29) which comprises of a crispy pork belly, caramelised fish sauce and palm sugar with green mango and Thai herbs salad. This was another dish that we really enjoyed too. The thin slices of juicy and tender pork belly along with a crunchy crackling was a delicious combination with the freshness of the green mango and Thai herbs salad.

To finish off, we had the lime brulee tart with vanilla ice cream ($14) for dessert. The lime brulee tart was zesty with a smooth curd making it a refreshing and light textured dessert to finish.

We also tried the winter special sticky date pudding with vanilla ice cream ($14). The sticky date pudding was a heartwarming dish. It was very moist with a lovely sweet flavour from the dates which complements well with the caramel sauce.

After our visit at Galangal, I could see why Galangal is a recommended Thai restaurant by fellow foodies. For me, I really enjoyed my visit to Galangal along with the efficient service that we received. I highly recommend visiting Galangal. Don’t forget to order that heavenly red duck curry too. Galangal is featured in the 2016/2017 Entertainment Book.