DENGON NET

　ランチにふらりと入ったら予想以上においしくて、ディナーにも足を運んだ。誰しもこんな経験をしたことがあるのではないだろうか。実は今回紹介するタイ料理店Fomo Thaiも、ランチがきっかけで見付けた店。メニューにさっと目を通せば、見慣れない料理名もチラホラあり、いやが上にも期待が高まる。

　最初に運ばれて来たのは、タイ北東部 Isaan 地方の料理 Khao Niao Moo Ping。マネージャーのYulianaさんによると、Isaanの料理は、ココナッツミルクを使わないのでアッサリしているのが特徴とのこと。この甘めのタレで漬け込んだ豚肉の串焼きも、日本の照り焼きに近い味わいで食べやすい。味に変化を付けようと、付け添えのタレをたっぷりつけたら、辛いのなんのって。タレをつける時は、様子を見ながら少しずつ。そしてまずは、タイビールと合わせてみて。

Khao Niao Moo Ping $13

　「メルボルンではなぜかPad Thaiばかり人気なんだけど、タイではこれも同じ位人気なのよ」と出てきたのはPad See Ew。バナナの葉で巻かれているのと、麺の上にのっている目玉焼きがストリートフードな雰囲気。幅広の平たい麺で、ほんのり甘めの味付け。野菜がたっぷり入っているし、ドライチリの量で自分の好みの辛さに調整できるのがうれしい。野菜のシャキッとした歯ごたえが良いアクセントになっていて、箸が進むひと皿だ。

Pad See Ew $15

　再び Isaan料理からバラマンディの塩釜焼きMiang Pla Phao。レタスやハーブ、ヌードルやソースも一緒にサーブされ、テーブルが華やぐ。魚にナイフを入れると、レモングラスとタイバジルの爽やかな香りがふわりと漂い、食欲が湧いてくる。レタスの上に好みでハーブやヌードル、ふっくらとした魚の身とソースをのせてパクリといただく。のせる具やソースによって味や食感に変化が付くし、魚だけで食べるよりもサッパリとしている。グールプで来た時に、ワイワイ取り分けながら食べると楽しそう。

Miang Pla Phao $35

　「タイのスープと言えば、Tom Yam Goongが有名だけど、たまには違うのも試して欲しいわ」と登場したのが、Tom Yam Poh Tak Seafood。シーフードがたっぷり入ったクリアなスープは、チリが浮いているもののそれほど辛くなさそうだ。しかし勢いよくスープを飲んだら、想像より辛くてビックリ。なんでもTom Yam Goongは、甘みと辛み、酸味のスープだが、このスープは辛みと酸味のスープなのだとか。辛いと言っても、ハーブとチリの風味がスカッと鼻に抜けるような切れのある爽快な辛さ。もちろん辛さの中に、魚介の旨味もしっかり感じられ、そのバランスが絶妙。スープにご飯を入れて食べてもおいしそう。

Tom Yum Poh Tak Seafood（Large）  $25

　Bourke St, とRussell St, の交差点近くにある便利な場所にあり、気軽に立ち寄りやすい雰囲気。ランチで訪れるのも良いが、他店にはない料理をゆっくり楽しむために、是非ディナーで訪れて欲しい。ごちそうさまでした。

How about a little culinary adventure?

Have you ever gone out to lunch with a friend and had such a good meal that you decided to go back for dinner? It’s a pretty common experience, and in fact happened to us during our first time at Fomo Thai (which definitely won’t be our last). Perusing the menu, there were many unfamiliar dishes, so with our interest piqued and expectations high, we sat down for lunch.

The first dish served was Kaho Niao Moo Ping, a dish native to the north-east Thailand region of Isaan. According to manager Yuliana, Isaan cuisine is notable because it doesn’t use coconut milk, giving it a light, refreshing feel. The pork is marinated in a sweet sauce and grilled on skewers, and has an almost teriyaki-style taste, which made it very easy to eat. To spice things up (literally, as it turned out), we then poured a liberal amount of the other sauce that came with the dish onto the skewers, which proved to be a mistake. Be warned, it’s hot! We’d advise you to add a little at a time, and see how you handle the chilli involved. Having a Thai beer on hand wouldn’t be a bad idea either. 
　Our next dish was Pad See Ew. Yuliana explained that this dish is just as popular in Thailand as Pad Thai, but that for some reason, Melburnians only think of Pad Thai when they think Thai fried noodles. Wrapped in a banana leaf and with a fried egg on top, there’s a definite street food vibe to this version, too. For those who’ve never had it, Pad See Ew is made with broad, flat noodles and has a faintly sweet taste. There are plenty of vegetables, and the fact you can add dried chilli to suit is a great selling point. The crispness of the veges creates a great accent too, and you’ll likely find yourself polishing it off before you know it.
　Returning to Isaan cuisine once more, we tried the Miang Pla Phao. The salt-crust baked Barramundi was served with lettuce, herbs, and two types of noodles and sauces, instantly adding colour and excitement to the table. Cutting into the fish, the refreshing aromas of lemongrass and Thai basil came wafting out, instantly increasing our appetites. Place some noodles, herbs or fluffy Barramundi meat on top of a lettuce leaf (or combine any of them to taste) and enjoy. The tastes and textures will vary depending on what you place on the lettuce, and the sauce you choose, but either way, it’s a more refreshing way of eating the fish than just serving it alone. This ability to create individual lettuce parcels means it’s also the perfect meal for sharing between friends.
　Finally we ate the Tom Yam Poh Tak Seafood. Yuliana said that whilst Tom Yam Goong is the most popular Thai soup, she’d love people to try something different from time to time, so we did. The large quantity of seafood sat in a clear soup with chilli floating on the surface, but even then, it didn’t look that spicy. However, tucking into it proved us very wrong, with a rather unexpected amount of heat. If Tom Yam Goong is a mix of sweet, sour and spicy, this soup is just a mix of sour and spicy. Having said that, the combination of herbs and chilli means it’s more a refreshing, ‘clear your head’ kind of spice, rather than a ‘blow your head off’ one. Even with all that heat, the umami from the seafood shines through too, so the final balance is superb. It’s the kind of dish you could likely enjoy by adding rice to it too. 

Fomo Thai has a friendly atmosphere and is located near the corner of Bourke and Russell Streets, making it a convenient location to drop in to. It’s great for lunch, but we’d dearly love to visit again for dinner, so we can relax and explore more of what’s on offer. Gotchisousamadeshita.

Fomo Thai
171 Bourke St, Melbourne
T: 03 9650 7987　
Mon - Fri 11am - 3pm, 
Mon-Thu, Sat・Sun 5-10pm,
Fri 5pm - till late
W: fomothai.com.au