Ying Thai 2, Carlton

Yellow Curry with Crab Meat

Pad Grapow with Fried Egg 

Goay Teaw Moo

(Special pork noodle soup with minced pork, pork ball, fish ball, pork liver, bean sprouts)

Can't get enough of it

A couple of weeks ago, I was looking to have something that's cheap, fuss free but ultra tasty for lunch so I decided to head over to Ying Thai 2 on Lygon Street. This is a place that I haven't been for the longest time. I used to come here heaps when I was a student in uni for those very same reasons and man, did it hit the spot or what.

I noticed that they had undergone a renovation since uni days but am very relieved to say that the food was just as good as I remembered... Ahhh, the golden days of youth.

Ying Thai now have a new dish on their menu that wasn't there when I was at uni, which is the Yellow Curry with Crab Meat and it is DELICIOUS. Sweet, generous crab meat cooked in a seriously addictive yellow curry sauce. This dish is different but perfectly encapsulates what I like about the food here -- packed full of flavour. Plus, I just love crab meat that I don't have to shell myself (and there was heaps of it on the plate). Ying Thai makes the best coconut rice and it went down a treat with this dish. Highly recommend this dish.

Besides that, the Pad Grapow (stir fried mince with Thai basil) was as tasty as always. To be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of stir fries (so boring) but this was an exception for me. The seasoning was subtly but lingering, delicious to eat. And this dish is just not complete without a serve of fried egg on the side, tis awesome.

Finally, most people are surprised when I tell them that one of my favourite dishes here is the mixed pork noodle soup. Even though Ying Thai is quite famous, this doesn't seem to be a dish that people would normally know of, let alone would order but I do enjoy it a lot. I've always been a fan of noodle soups (find it very comforting) when it's light, tasty and refreshing. That's why I would always take pho over a heavy laksa or ramen any day. This is the only place in Melbourne that serves pork noodle soup and it really does it for me. I absolutely love the variety of ingredients that's in there too, which makes each mouthful exciting and satisfying. This dish really does it for me and something I always order without fail. 

Anyway, I was very happy to revisit this place again. Ying Thai, to me, is like an old friend that you can always count on no matter what. There for you when you need them. Even if you go for years without seeing each other, feels like nothing's changed every time you catch up. Ok, am I talking about a Thai restaurant or an old flame? May or may not be sensationalising this too much. Time for me to stop.

Happy eating.