Hidden Gem: Ran Proad, Rosebery

Ran Proad is an unassuming Thai restaurant in Rosebery. It has a small menu but is a favourite restaurant for foodies and chefs. Find out why and what makes this Thai restaurant a must visit in a city like Sydney that is replete with Thai restaurants. Don't sleep on this one!

I first heard about Ran Proad from @howac on Instagram and it jumped to the top of the list when I saw the reviews of it and how much people loved the food. There is always something to be said about who follows a business and it's a list of some of Sydney’s most well known chefs and foodies. The reason is that the two chefs there are Sorun Tujinda and Yanto who formerly worked at Long Chim. Also the food is nothing short of ambrosial.

The name Ran Proad means "favourite shop" in Thai and it is located on a small stretch on a quiet street with half a dozen shops lined up next to each other. It's Sunday morning when Mr NQN and I arrive at 11:30am – he wants to make the most of the day wing foiling while I want to make the most of the day cooking at home so we decided on a quick lunch here. We are the first to arrive, although the restaurant will become busy with customers eating in and collecting takeaway.

The menu is two pages long with entrees, stir fries, salads, curries and noodles as well as drinks. We start with a Thai milk tea that is sweet and icy that takes us back to holidays in much warmer climates. We also have a coconut water which is sweet and refreshing with pieces of young coconut.

I have over ordered – five dishes in total but they are well priced and I figure we could eat any leftovers for dinner. The first dish to arrive are the prawn cakes or tod mun goong which are crunchy crispy prawn fritters full of prawn with a sweet plum dipping sauce. They’re piping hot and satisfying and great to whet the appetite for things to come.

The rest of the food comes quickly, one by one. I’m glad I bypassed the green papaya salad in favour of this green apple salad because it's more unique. It’s so refreshing with crisp matchsticks of green apple, fresh mint leaves and the crunchy unctuousness of perfectly rendered pork belly cubes. I can easily imagine having this in summer or on a day where you just want something light but not punishing.

Their signature dish is the pad prik khing with crispy pork belly, crunchy green beans, makrut lime leaves and a strong hit of red chilli as well as slender green chillies. The pork is perfectly cooked and succulent and is perfectly balanced with a strong sweetness, saltiness and fiery heat. I find crispy pork belly is often a little too overcooked but this isn't in the slightest. It doesn't hold back on the spiciness and it's a little too hot for Mr NQN but perfectly hot for me.

The massamun beef curry is fantastic – at first I thought it wasn’t quite soft enough but it is excellent with tender potatoes and that incredible sweet peanut nutty sauce. Make sure to get a serve of rice for this and it becomes more addictive the more you have of it.

The pad see ew is nice but it needs a touch more balance through sweetness. It's not bad at all, but when compared to the rest of the menu it's probably one that I wouldn't order again, instead I'd get the Pad Prik Khing twice! ;)

So tell me Dear Reader, what is your favourite Thai dish to order? Is there a local favourite restaurant you want to shout out?

This meal was independently paid for.

Ran Proad

66 Dalmeny Ave, Rosebery NSW 2018

Phone: (02) 8084 5644

Open 11:30-3pm, 5-9pm Wednesday to Monday (closed Tuesdays)