Erawan is My new Thai

On opening the door to Erawan in Falkirk’s East End, your senses are giving a big bit of reassurance.

The restaurant smells beautiful with the aroma of spices and herbs and the welcome is subtle.

As Erawan only opened a few months ago, this was myself and dining companion Fiona’s first venture to the restaurant that promises a true taste of Thailand.

We were greeted with the drinks menu. My arm was twisted into trying the Mai Thai cocktail, while Fiona, whose arm was twisted into driving, had the Thai ice tea.

My rum-based cocktail was really enjoyable. A light green in colour, it was very easy to drink without an overwhelming taste or smell of spirits.

Fiona lovely her ice tea, and eventually ordered another.

For food, Fiona started with the Thung Thong, parcels of crispy pastry filled with blend of chicken and prawns and served with sweet and sour sauce. She loved the flavours, texture and presentation of this tasty appetizer.

I opted for the Tom Yum Kung, the classic Thai spicy hot and sour soup. The spicy broth was super, with a generous amount of tail-on prawns, chunks of mushrooms and flavoured with lemongrass, kaffir lime, and galangal.

The menu at Erawan is extensive, with selections of seafood, meat, game and vegetarian dishes, and we both asked for recommendations for mains.

Fiona opted for the Pla Nueng Ma-Now, a mild dish of steamed sea bass served with spring onion, garlic, coriander and topped with a red chilli and lime dressing. She commented it was extremely tasty, light and fresh.

I had the Ped Ma Kharm, a dish listed as a chef’s recommendation. It was roast duck simmering in special Thai Tamarind sauce, dried chili and topped with crispy shallots.

Amazingly good and moreish, with the crispiness and flavour well above par, and the meat was cooked perfectly.

As well as the taste, we were both wowed by the presentation of the dishes, which came with individual bowls of jasmine rice.

For dessert, but I ordered the already-famous fried ice cream. This clever sweet treat consists of a scoop of cold vanilla ice-cream cased inside a warm crispy shell. Delightful, and a first for me.

Fiona went for the night’s special dessert – sweet sticky rice with mango. Colourful and lovely, she said it was sweet but refreshing.

One final thing to say about Erawan is that everything is exceptionally well done. Not only is the food outstanding and the atmosphere welcoming, the attention to detail is refreshingly lovely.

When so much love is put into dishes, you can only love what you eat.