Delicious Thai food out west and a happy first! - Chong Co Thai, Stanhope Gardens

Establishment: Chong Co Thai, Stanhope Gardens

Cuisine: Authentic Thai

Allergy information: Their menu has a number of options that are dairy, egg, seafood and nut free 

Suggestions: I love the BBQ Wagyu which is dairy, egg and seafood free, but I'm now also a new fan of their Satay Chicken Skewers which is similarly safe for those allergies but not safe for peanut allergies

As I've mentioned before, safely eating out at Asian places has been more of a recent phenomenon for me and one of the nicest cuisines I've been able to add to my growing list of options is Thai. It took me a while to finally try it but that was largely because after years of avoidance, it takes time before you feel safe enough to wade into a new place and a new type of food and Asian had always been quite the minefield.

Thankfully, by the time Chong Co Thai had opened up in Stanhope, I had tried enough to feel confident enough to see what I could try. 

I first went there with my family to celebrate my mum's birthday near the end of 2017 and having a look through the menu, I was heartened to see some meats on the menu that looked like they would be safe for me to eat so I decided to check with the wait staff. After double checking ingredients on a few dishes, I ended up with the BBQ Wagyu Beef and the Stir Fried Asian Greens and Tofu (pictured above). 

Yum!

The beef was tender and delicious and it was some of the nicest I'd ever tried. I enjoyed every last bite and the stir fried vegies went with it beautifully, crispy and coated with a lovely vegetarian sauce. 

At this point, I need to note that since then, the stir fried Asian Greens dish has changed to an Oyster Sauce, however the staff are happy to change the sauce to a vegetarian sauce that should be safer for anyone with seafood allergies. Be sure to discuss with staff so that they are aware and can cater for your needs as they are very open to doing so. I have since taken to getting the steamed vegies instead which still work as a great accompaniment to the beef. 

Nothing like a lovely fresh bowl of steamed veg! Pictured here with my friend's Tamarind Prawns.

Then more recently, a friend and I decided to grab some dinner so we went to Chong Co, ordered some drinks and I happily went in with my standard order of Wagyu and vegies while my friend ordered some Tamarind Prawns and some Satay Chicken Skewers for entree. 

Now I'd still not really jumped into the idea of trying Satay. While I'm lucky enough to be able to enjoy peanuts and I love peanut butter, the notion of peanut sauce still hadn't really convinced me and I'd especially not yet been sold on the idea of it with meat. However more recently, my mum had introduced me to a Filipino dish called Kare Kare which is stewed meat and peanut sauce and I loved it. Yes, it took me long enough as a Pinoy to finally eat Kare Kare, but I'd really just never gotten around to it. Trying it and loving it definitely opened me up to the idea of seeing if Satay would be something I could safely enjoy. 

I checked with the waitress about any dairy, egg or fish sauce content in the dish and she was able to clear it for me so soon enough I was about to try my first ever Satay skewers. 

Oh my gosh - these were amazing!

I am so glad I decided to finally give this a try. I had my test bites and had no trace of any reaction so I got to keep going and that chicken was perfect - perfectly cooked and juicy, and that sauce! Why, oh why had I never thought to try ask about it before? That sauce was exactly what I love about anything peanut buttery. A fantastic balance of sweet and savoury peanutty goodness, I happily ploughed through the skewers and already began planning to take the wagyu away because I was sure this entree had more than adequately filled me up!

Topping things off with some sparkling water and a Coco Paradise mocktail.

As time has passed and more and more food becomes accessible, it's been wonderful getting to branch out a lot more into different kinds of cuisine and getting to add Thai to the list has been a great thing. My family and many of my friends love Thai and it's a lovely thing to be able to join them without having to worry or get anxious about the allergies. As it is, Chong Co has become a happy favourite for my family on special occasions. 

If you or yours have any of the top 8 allergies, the staff can absolutely assist you in finding a dish that is safe as there are a wide variety of options on the menu. I have always found the staff to be lovely and attentive and I couldn't recommend them more. If you're in the area, do check them out and hopefully enjoy some beautiful food!