Thai

Croydon, Victoria, November 15, 2012—

THAI TONIGHT: six of us around the table, ultimately noisy enough, I'm afraid, getting to know one another, that we outlasted all the others in this small friendly strip-mall restaurant. I had three or four delicious Toon tong: puff-pastry parcels, as the menu said, filled with minced chicken and vegetables, flavored with garlic, coriander, and paprika — Thai ravioli, I suppose, dipped into a little cup of sauce.

Then Pad pet ped yang, pieces of duck with cabbage, boo chou, onion, carrot, snow peas, and who knows what flavorings, very savory in its unctuous brown sauce. Really a delicious dinner; I'd go back to this place any time if it were a little closer to home.

Chardonnay:Banrock Station, 2011 (crisp, some acid); Kellybrook, Yarra Valley, 2010 (sound with good varietal, not too full); Sauvignon blanc/Semillon: Four Sisters, Victoria, 2011 (nice balance and flavors)

• Thai Chaiyo Restaurant, 24a/16 Hewish Road, Croydon; (03) 9723 1889