Iyara, Gladesville.


There are so many things to love about daylight saving.  For one, those extra hours of daylight at the end of the day make it so much more appealing to go out for dinner.  Even on a Sunday night.  My traditional night of having a long lie on the sofa (as are most nights of the week these days but it is mandatory on Sundays).

Just up the road from where we live is a whole range of restaurants waiting to be explored for a twilight dinner this summer.  Iyara Thai is one of our favourites so Mr SSG and I thought we’d kick of the season with dinner here last Sunday.

The interior of Iyara is decorated in dark wood with fresh floral arrangements dotting the dining space. Richly coloured cushions and flickering candles added some warmth to the tables.  An open kitchen sits to the left and though we get to see the chefs in action, the scent of wok cooking over high heat doesn’t waft into the dining area.  It just felt so relaxing sitting back in a beautiful space and having dinner cooked for me.

Pud Puk Bong

The first dish we ordered was the Pud Puk Bong ($12.90).  It’s a dish of wok tossed water spinach with red chilli, oyster sauce and soy.  It’s a lighter version of a Malaysian Chinese dish which uses blecan and dried prawns as its flavour base.  Both Mr SSG and I loved this, especially the chunks of long red chillis which added more crunch and sweetness rather than heat (as we thought they would).

Kay Yan Khao-Neaw

Next up was the Kay Yang Khao-Neaw ($15.90), a dish of grilled chicken with sticky rice.  The chicken is marinated in Thai herbs and light coconut sauce before being flame grilled.  The result was tender chicken with a bit of a kick that went perfectly with the sticky rice and salad.  I liked how the sweet chilli sauce had a richness that is lacking in store bought versions.  It also wasn’t sickly sweet.

Prawn Pad Thai

Mr SSG and I are both huge Pad Thai fans so our order wasn’t complete without Iyara’s Prawn Pad Thai ($18.90).  It was served with an intricate egg omelette laced over the top of the noodles and side servings of peanuts, sugar and chilli flakes.  The noodles used in this version are finer than the usual rice noodles served at other restaurants.  Once again, the flavours were light and balanced.

Prawn Pad Thai after I broke the omelette over the top.

The egg omlette provided a good contrast in texture to the silkiness of the noodles and the chewiness of the prawns.  Any place that serves a generous amount of prawns in their noodle dishes gets high marks with with me and Iyara did not disappoint here.

As the daylight finally surrendered to the night, Mr SSG and I walked home with pleasantly full stomachs and a vow to make twilight Sunday dinners a regular event.

Iyara on Urbanspoon


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