Kinn Thai Restaurant125 Bunda St
Civic, Canberra
It was only after visiting Kinn Thai in Canberra that we realised there are Kinn's in quite a number of states across Australia.This one occupies a spot in a good location in the restaurant hub of Civic - a foodie location in the heart of Canberra that has grown a lot over the last few years.
Kinn opened here with little fanfare and yet it has quickly become very popular - a sure sign that the food there must be good.
It's actually quite a big place, with most of the seating inside but still having sufficient outside seating to take in those balmy Canberra late Spring, Summer and early Autumn evenings.
The menu at Kinn is quite extensive without being over the top. There is certainly something for everyone on their pages. The dishes are quite tangy and they all seem to be presented with a degree of flair to them.
They do traditional dishes with an innovative twist and it works well. The end result are some very tasty food that was full of flavour.
They also had plenty of comfort food options too - you know, those deep fried crispy ones that we always say we'll steer clear of but end up ordering anyway.
You won't regret getting them here.
We started with a few entrees - it's kind of hard not to. After a bit of debate we ended up choosing betel leaf - well two of them to be precise. This was described as a traditional Thai appetiser of betel leaf filled with tiger prawn and topped with Thai herbs and Kinn’s special sauce. They recommend you "throw these down" in one mouthful. They were delicious and we'd certainly have them again.
Next was the Kinn duck pancakes - roasted duck breast, cucumber and shallot wrapped in house made rosemary pancakes. These were tasty too, but we love duck.
Main course number one was the crispy pork belly - yes those comfort food dishes. This comes in a variety of ways, but we chose the Ka Na Moo Grob or stir fried garlic and Chinese broccoli. It certainly had plenty of garlic but it didn't overpower the rest of the dish. The Chinese broccoli added plenty of vibrant colour. It was another winner. Some steamed rice soaked up even more of the flavours.
Finally, we moved on to what was probably the dish of the night - the chilli jam crispy soft shell crabs.
This dish had an instant wow factor as soon as it arrived at the table, with crispy soft shell crab piled high on the shallow bowl. It looked spectacular.
The taste was just as good too. The tasty sauce at the bottom of the bowl had us dipping and swirling food constantly. Fortunately there was plenty there.
Kinn Thai was impressive. Great food, attentive service and a pleasant environment.