Another dinner in the restaurant with the in laws. Can you already hear the theme to Jaws? This evening, unlike other times, the ordering, usually 10 minutes fraught with tension, queries, exclamations and inquisitions, is relatively stress free. Could things be changing with my in laws? Or was it the fact that both Mr NQN’s parents, the strictest vegans were absent?
We are at Ta Ta Thai just near Neutral Bay wharf. The lower north shore has Thai options a plenty but this one, slightly hidden away in a suburban area was recommended to us. The decor is simple but nice and the service is good although a mix up as to the number of people puts us on a table with one less space and we’re elbows to knees. The menu is made up of three pages and there is a section of vegetarian dishes which keeps the in laws happy. Prices are reasonable with the most expensive item at $16.90.
Coconut drink $5
The enormous young coconut drink is refreshing and a crowd pleaser, full of sweet, cool liquid. We call this the Elliott Coca Cola as they drink it so much.
Heavenly crab $8
The heavenly crab are crumbed crab balls, filled with soft white crab meat inside with an extremely sweet sauce on the side. I wasn’t in love with these as I felt like you can get something similar frozen and sold at takeaway stores. Oh and all of us noted that we have these plates too! 
Hoy jor $7
The hoy jor reminded me of a Chinese dish which is wrapped in yuba (fried bean curd skin) and deep fried. This is filled with prawn and crab meat and fried until crispy and suits the same sweet sauce better than the crab balls.
Toon thong $7
The toon thong had a slightly watery filling with a crunchy outer and a soft, spongey interior. Out of the entrees and mains, we really did prefer the mains.
Aura with a curry puff in one hand and a spring roll in another
Chicken Penang curry $13.50
The chicken panang curry has a richly flavoured curry sauce with slices of chicken and cauliflower, bok choy, carrot, Thai basil and broccoli. It’s our favourite main with a really good balance of flavours and creaminess and was recommended to us by our waitress.
Duck salad $15.90
The fresh lemongrass, onion and spicy flavours are excellent here although the duck in the dish isn’t as bountiful as we’ve had at other places. The salad itself is very good and the duck tender.
Ta Ta Ocean seafood only $16.90
The Ta Ta Ocean is a generous serve of seafood and mixed vegetables in a delicious, moppable sauce that I kept going back for. The seafood is tender and there is squid, prawns, deep fried fish and mussels. I should add that the rice portions are very generous and they often offer to top up rice and are constantly topping up water.
Pad Kra Kroa with prawns $16.90
This dish looked very similar to the dish above it. I should have perhaps checked myself as they were both recommended to us and we wanted something a bit different like the gai yang or crying tiger. The stir fry has a nice amount of Thai basil in it and is sweet with snow peas, mushrooms, bay corn and six fat butterflied shrimp.
As it is Araluen and Laporello’s birthdays, I made a couple of cakes for the occasion including a Mondrian Battenberg cake and a cheesecake. Amaya brings out the candles, two trick candles that won’t blow out and they fascinate little Aura Lily. It’s about 9:15pm when we’ve left this Saturday night and they suburb is quiet. And not a drama in sight the whole night!
So tell me Dear Reader, are your family dinners stress free or is there drama?
Ta Ta Thai
15 Hayes Street Neutral Bay NSW 2089
Tel: +61 (02) 9908 3159
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26 Comments | Add your own
Oh dear Chicken Penang curry is my favorite dish, and I haven’t had it in two years! Lovely. I would also try some of that crying tiger. Our family gatherings are fun, it’s loud but that’s the way we talk.
I’m laughing – you were eating with vegetarians, but every dish had meat or seafood in it?
Looks like you all had a lovely night, and hasn’t your niece grown up! She’s very cute! x
Thai food is one of the foods that I have claimed as “happy food”, the flavours just make you happy.
Dinners with family are generally stress free, as we have them relatively infrequently in order to keep enjoying them!
To answer your question – NO (emphatically!)
My parents are simple eaters. When they go out they like Italian and Chinese. If you deviate from either of these cuisines, they’ll be very critical and you feel as though it’s your fault for choosing some abominable restaurant.
This food makes my mouth water. I so wish our takeaway stores had crab balls that looked like these!
Our family dinners are usually fun, though every family surely has a bit of drama.
Well I missed this one even though staying in Neutral Bay for the past 2 weeks. At least I did the chocolate tempering course at Coco that you blogged awhile back. Roz
I dread when we have to see the in – laws, including the sister, as I can’t get close to them, believe me I’ve tried. Ordering lunch or dinner isn’t so much stressful but, the catty, snide, crappy remarks the mother in law makes are a put off – She’s just plain nasty, always negative. I love his father though, complete chalk and cheese to the rest of them and lovingly generous as.
Oh dear….definitely drama at my family dinners. One particular family member has a terrible habit of never being wrong (or so she believes) and this can result in many heated discussions!
That curry looks scrumptious!
Usually family meals are stress-free, though around the holidays things can get dramatic with too many cooks in the kitchen, if you know what I mean
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How nice to have a quiet, happy evening with the in-laws, so few and far between
We had Thai last night, but our toon thong are the whole reason we choose the particular restaurant!
Little Araluen looks like she had a great time, what a cutie
Well, make of it what you will, but my favourite photos are that of Aura: that second one is magical
! Pleasant enough place, with some of the mains especially looking quite appetizing. Since my husband and I had madly foodie families on both sides, with nary a dislike or allergy twixt us, I honestly cannot remember one stressful dinner out, and since we were in business, there were many of those. We just tried to get all the intersting dishes onto the table and madly shared across 
! And the children were part of the scene from the time they could use a chopstick/fork!! Oh, have I missed something: Saturday was the day we all looked forward to the weekly competitions, which have somehow disappeared into the wild blue yonder? Perhaps I have not read the text carefully ??? 
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I hope your in-laws don’t read this!
I’m glad you were able to enjoy this delicious meal stress free my friend
That coconut drink just signals the delicious food to come!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Haha whenever go for dinner with the in-laws, I do all the ordering. Everyone else just eats!
Mine are always full of drama, often unnecessary!
This Thai approves this restaurant based on the photos alone! Also with their choices of appetizers. Even with the highest of Thai population outside of the country, even in Southern California, we can’t always find a restaurant that has “Heavenly Crab” or Toong Tong. Although Kraprao with prawns has snow peas which makes it “white people food” but I’m sure it tastes lovely. ;-D
I only see my in-laws once a year – but for about 10 days. So not so much dramas luckily and maybe I should be thankful for. =P I love Thai food and all the food looks delish!
Love that last photo of Araluen with the cake. Just gorgeous!
I’m sure I’ve said this before but Aura Lily is the cutest baby ever!!
the dishes look quite nice, although the crockery used doesn’t look all that Thai…
Our family dinners are usually ok, unless if my dad is in a good mood, in which case he would make a big ruckuss including a lot of bad jokes…
The stress levels depend on which members of the family are at the meal. The outlaws are always stressful. That chicken panang curry looks delicious, one of my favourites. GG
I’m so relieved! I was expecting catastrophes left, right and centre. There’s always drama dining with my in-laws. They turn up on the wrong night, at the wrong time, in the wrong city and then can’t understand the menu then when the food comes out say very loudly, ‘What’s this stuff?’ xx
We don’t get family dinners often but dinner with “the olds” is always drama filled. They’re both rather deaf but think they’re whispering. Funny to some but I just want to crawl under the table. Other family is just fun.
I had duck Penanag the other night and your photos are reminding me how good it was.
This all looks delish, and little Aura is gorgeous.
Aura is so cute! I was waiting to see the pic with the spring roll and curry puff in her hands :0)
My dad enjoys playing the contrary old man when we dine out. If we go to an Italian restaurant, he will ask the waitress for spring rolls. If we go to an asian restaurant, undoubtably he will ask for a schnitzel or lasagne. My sister and I shake out heads but don’t say anything.
Drama!!!! My mother-in-law will also take half an hour to choose something, only to be disappointed when the dish arrives on the table and she says she should have ordered something else only EVERY TIME we eat out!!! Yum, I love crying tiger too.
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