Middle Fish and only in the middle of the day!!

Ok ... I've had Thai food numerous times throughout my life, but I can't honestly say if any of it has ever been authentic. So I'm not going to enter into any discussions about authenticity in this review. I am however Asian, and can generally spot versions that I would consider westernised and limpid. Thankfully, Middle Fish treats their customers with respect.

First things first, as a general rule of thumb, capsicum, baby corn and large chunks of onion are not ingredients that are widely used in South East Asian cooking. If something is labelled spicy, then it really should be spicy. And if ever you run a store in Singapore and serve about a half a teaspoon of chilli sauce/sambal on the plate, you might as well close shop and re-appraise your business plan.

My favourite Thai Dishes are Tom yam, green curry, and the infinite varieties of Laab, none of which I had when we visited this amazing space (have a wander round when you're there) in Carlton. NB: they are not open for dinner - 10am-4pm. I wanted to check out the specials.

Already being heralded as as Melbourne's answer to Sydney's superior Thai cuisine, this newly minted Thai eatery pulls no punches.

We began our afternoon's repast with Iced coffees (the new summer hit) served in these gorgeous pressed metal bowls. We then chose from the Try This section of the menu. I stupidly did not take note of the actual names and descriptions, but we had Items 1 and 2.

M had a Southern Thai style fish which is cooked in Coconut milk and tasted so much like Serondeng that I was immediately transported to my childhood with the first mouthful. Accompanying this was a bowl of Kang Kong and onion, a bowl of pickled carrot with beanshoots and a plate of noodles for soakage.

I had a Northern Thai style dish of spicy minced pork that was served with a Goldfish shaped mound of rice and various raw and blanched vegetables. If you can't take the heat, then this is not the dish for you. I on the other hand was in heaven.

My only concern with the food is that if you are going to serve raw veg, they really need to be fresh. My broccolli was slightly blackened round the stems, and the snake beans should really have been cooked. Simply put, they were not fresh.

But all in all, the food was homestyled and absolutely delicious. What a wonderful addition to Melbourne's culinary scene, and one I hope will last the distance. Oh and for those Singaporeans out there, be warned, there's no aircon.