Blue Ginger

I love cookbooks...absolutely loved them! I could spend the whole day lost in the world of food browsing through the photos and dreaming about what to cook next. Unfortunately I’m not that good when it comes to actually finding the time to make something. One book that I had been contemplating about buying for quite some time now is Blue Ginger, the pictures always looked so tempting and the recopies seemed so simple.

I was very fortunate when my friend Belinda booked a dinner for us at Blue Ginger for her farewell (why buy the book till you try the food?). The restaurant has been on my list of ‘to visit’ places for quite some time now, but parking in Balmain can get difficult and usually we end up somewhere that is more convenient for everyone.

You can’t miss this restaurant, it’s blue walls and Asian style red doors stand out in the line of eateries. As you enter, the décor in the first room is modern with white walls artistic vases and dark wood furniture. We were taken into the second room that gave off a totally different atmosphere. Here the lights were dim and the walls red, a Buddha statue glowed on the sidewall and the tree outside reminded me of Enid Blyton's Far Away tree with all the little fairy lights.

The menu is made up of traditional Asian dishes with a modern twist and a very strong Thai influence. The prices range from $23-25 (more for seafood) and rice costs an extra $3 per person. There is a wide selection of wines to choose from and the desserts are exotic. Below are some of the Dishes that we sampled on the night.

BBQ Pork with Hokkien noodles

Chicken cashew in a spicy sauce

Red Duck Curry

Padthai

By the time we finished our mains, it was already 9:30pm (we started late). The room was a little stuffy and the dim lights made us very drowsy after a long day at work. Feeling quite full, we decided to give dessert a miss but regretted it later when we saw what all the other tables were having. I really enjoyed the food here and would definitely recommend it (I’m sure we will get to try the desserts the next time we come).

Belinda have a wonderful trip! keep us posted of your adventures and take plenty of photos. See you in 6 months...we'll miss you!

Blue Ginger
241 Darling Street
Balmain, Sydney NSW
Tel: 02 9818 4662

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Went to see Mandy & Leo and their new baby on Saturday...he's soooooooo tiny! Mum and bub doing well.