Tonight Sharon and I decided on going out for Thai for our date night. The restaraunt of choice this evening was The Crying Tiger Asian Eating House & Cooking School. The Crying Tiger is located at 382 Harbour Dr, Coffs Harbour Jetty NSW 2450. The Jetty Strip as it is known to locals is a very popular restaraunt and cafe strip and the Crying Tiger is nestled neatly in the middle. If you ever decide to go to the Jetty Strip for dinner, Saturday night probably isn't going to be the best night of the week if you want to have a quiet meal.
We started our evening off with an entree. Sharon had the Thai fishcakes with peanut and sweet chilli dipping sauce (Tod Mun Pla), while I had the moneybags, a crispy fries Thai pastry filled with pork, prawns and nuts with a sweet chilli dipping sauce.
We had a bit of a wait between our entree and our main course, but this place was pumping. from our table we could hear sounds of a celebration from the function room down the back. When our mains did arrive, they were worth the wait. Sharons meal was chicken and cashew stir fry with chilli jam (Cashew Gai). This was a very tasty dish that was complemented by the flavour of the sweet chilli jam. My main course was the Jungle Curry with chicken. This meal was a hot dish, I mean fiery. I like hot food and I swear I thought I could feel steam coming out of my ears. It was still full of flavour, even through the heat of the curry, and came complete with 2 sprigs of green peppercorns, straight from the plant.
On the whole we were quite please with our dining experieence at The Crying Tiger. The staff were friendly, the meals flavoursome and the atmosphere warm and friendly. They also accommodate for families with babies as they supply high chairs for those that need them.
Another thing that I hsould mention before signing off that I feel separates The Crying Tiger from most other restaraunts is that they offer a cooking school for those wishing to learn about cooking authentic Thai cuisine. The class is hands on and you are under the instruction of the Tiger's master chef. During the class you learn how to prepare an entree and 3 main meals. Once the class is copleted you have the choice of taking your meals home or sharing them as part of the group. You also get to take home a copy of the recipes for each of the dishes that you prepare. The cost of the class is $110 and there are only 4 spaces available. I will at some stage in the future be enrolling in the class so keep an eye out for my review on it as well.
So, in conclusion, if you are a lover of Thai cuisine, or are looking to try it for the first time, I highly recommend The Crying Tiger Asian Eating House & Cooking School.
Our Rating - 4 out of 5 stars.
