Crispy Korean chicken wings
Image: Frank Chemaly
Where: Shop 2, Saxony Ilala Centre, 2 Ilala Dr, La Lucia
Open: Sunday to Thursday noon - 8.30pm, Friday and Saturday noon - 9pm
Call: 063 169 2978
Many Berea diners will remember Chef Roger Sirvanjanakul, and his little Green Mango Restaurant. Well you can’t keep a good chef out of the kitchen for long and I recently discovered his new outlet at Lemongrass in La Lucia Ridge.
We’re both a little greyer but it’s still the same jovial face that greets me as we walk in the door.
The Ilala Centre is a chaotic centre to find parking in until I eventually found a back parking lot with impossibly narrow parking spaces - not ideal for any big SUVs. The centre itself spans numerous levels and entrances but eventually I find it on the first floor next to the Ocean Basket. It’s a simple but comfortable space.
The Advocate joins me.
Prawn tom yum soup
Image: Frank Chemaly
The menu’s morphed a little bit from Roger’s traditional Thai fare served back at the Green Mango. Instead, he’s included a number of Asian fusion dishes which add excitement to events. Starters might include lamb satay or crispy pork dumplings. He also has crispy Korean chicken wings (R98), which excited The Advocate. These had a beautifully crisp crust dusted in dry chili powder, and were delicious. Also on the menu are a range of tempura prawns and veg, and his beef garden salad, which has always been a delight. This is known for its crispy spinach, which is so light and so crisp, and then a lovely selection of spicy seafood. It really is a spectacular dish.
Being a cold night, I decided to go for the prawn tom yum soup (R90). It’s a flavour I’ve been craving for a while, and I haven’t had anyone who does a nice tom yum, so I thought I’d give that a whirl. It was a good deep broth - and very spicy - but I enjoyed it immensely.
Mains include a selection of traditional Thai curries both red and green and angry. And, believe me, his angry curries are angry. I particularly enjoyed the duck version on a previous visit many years ago. He also has a range of classic Thai stir fries, particularly with chili and basil and another with sweet and sour.
Japanese eggplant salad.
Image: Frank Chemaly
And then he does a number of fried rice dishes in the Chinese style like chop suey and chow mein. But it is his house specialities that are the real pick. Standing out is his crispy fish which I've had a number of times at the old menu and loved every time. He also does a good Singapore chilli crab. There’s Asian lamb shanks and Malaysian lamb chops, all priced considerably better than many of the steakhouses offering lamb.
The advocate went for a brinjal salad (R128). He felt like something light. This was a surprisingly delicious dish. It was a whole baked brinjal topped with Japanese mayo on a bed of salad ingredients. He’s not a big lettuce fan, but he enjoyed the rest of it.
Crispy duck in a honey sauce with noodles.
Image: Frank Chemaly
I opted for the crispy duck (R258). This was beautifully crispy and done in a light honey sauce with just a mild hint of heat, the odd chilli here and there. It was served with noodles which were pleasant, although, and here’s a tip, pancakes and hoisin sauce would lift that duck even more.
Then Chef Roger was intent on offering dessert. He suggested fried banana and ice-cream and looked mortified when I said this was probably the only thing I would not eat. He suggested deep-fried ice-cream (R58) - now that sounded good. It was probably the biggest scoop of ice cream I’ve ever seen, done in a lovely crisp batter, that stayed crisp, finished with syrup and sesame seeds. And the ice-cream stayed firm. Good cooking, Roger.
Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambience: 3
The bill: R820 for two
Deep-fried ice-cream.
Image: Frank Chemaly