Considering the many Thai restaurants everywhere in Canberra particularly close to where I live in Kingston (Chiang Rai, CocoNine, Chong Co, Amarin and Baan Latsamy in Manuka), it's surprising I haven't been to Morks before. This is even more impressive considering possibly my favourite restaurant in the world (Melbourne's Longrain) is modern Thai and so is Morks. I did manage to go to the mothership David Thompson's Nahm in London (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/nahm-london-07-2012) before it closed, but unfortunately this was at a time after it had lost the Michelin star and was on the verge of closing in favour of the Bangkok version (which is rated the best restaurant in Asia).
Until I can get back to Bangkok, I'll have to settle for Longrain (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/longrain-melbourne-10-2012) in the meantime and whilst remaining in Canberra I was hoping Morks could help in this regard.
- Soft shell crab roti, yellow curry, house pickles $8 - reads as a more exciting dish than it was with a half-crab on roti triangle. I think I expected a roti roll (maybe just because what I've seen in the markets in Darwin);
- Shantung style eggplant, chilli & cucumber salad $12 - one diner was gluten-free so ended up without the Shantung sauce but was still an excellent juicy eggplant dish with beautifully flavoured salad on top;
- Morks cheeky wagyu beef salad $20 - outstanding tender and disintegrating cheek in a mixed herb salad with classic dressing;
- Morks duck red curry, crispy rice cake $29 - duck red curry is one Thai staple that I pride the cuisine on, but unfortunately the curry itself lacked real potency. The lychees added a nice sweetness and the crispy rice cake was reasonable but overall I felt the dish was a bit flat;
- Pork belly, caramelised soy, young mango, Thai herbs $29 - probably my favourite main with perfectly cooked pork belly, well seasoned and herbs accentuating the thick savoury sauce;
- Crispy whole Flounder, turmeric & garlic rub, nham jim $38 - quite a good rendition with soft fish flesh and a crispy top. I found it odd that the fish was served with the head removed as I like eating the cheeks (Maybe it's used for soup? Maybe the clientele aren't used to seeing fish with a head on it?);
- Crispy rice salad $20 - only tried a small sample and it seemed fine.
One large bowl of rice for $16 was a very excessive ($4 per person). I think it should be cheaper or charged per bowl for instances like this, but this would be my only gripe.
Overall the food was of high quality with delicious clean take on Thai food. Maybe it's my own preference but I like bolder flavours in my modern Thai and for that Longrain will always be #1 for me (comparing the red curries of Longrain and Morks exemplifies this the most for me). In any case I'd still be very happy to return to Morks as the cooking is excellent.
Next time I would order Shantung eggplant, Pork Belly and either Street Fried Chicken or Mussaman Beef Curry with 1 serving of rice. I'll have to try and save enough space for the Egg in Hay (coconut icecream, pashmak, roti) dessert also.