Wild Ginger, The Rocks

Wild Ginger is located in the rocks and the actual building has heritage and architecture that is stunning. The building is actually the first of Sydney's commercial hub.The thai restaurant hosts a number of delights to enjoy with a mesh of traditional thai flavours with Australian modern twists.

Wild Ginger's menu is intended for sharing (which is good for me so I can try more dishes) and sources their ingredients from local produce. I sit down and relax. It's a rainy cold day and I just want to recover from the nasty weather. I order a Mango Spice which is made with tequila, mango puree, fresh lime and ginger. The mango is more subtle than anticipated but it's still a nice, fruity cocktail that I enjoyed.

The Thai Steamed Dumpling is beautiful. I didn't want to destroy it because it was so pretty but I went ahead anyway. This flower shaped dumpling is coloured naturally through a purple plant. There's no artificial colouring here. The hand crafted dumpling is a chicken based dumpling. I don't often eat chicken dumplings but enjoy something different.

There was also the betal leaf with peanuts, coconut relish, smoked snowy mountain trout and is topped with flying fish roe. You wrap the leaf around and use this as a case as you bite into the dish. A burst of fresh fish, textures from the fish roe and peanuts comes through. It's a biteful of freshness.

I also really like the crispy roll which is a chicken and crab mince wrapped in deep fried tofu sheets with plum sauce. I actually really like the texture of tofu skin as it's very light and thin. So while the roll is crispy, the skin is not dense. I'm mildly allergic to crab but I try these anyway as I figure crab is not a major ingredient.

The trio of dishes above is a small sample of the Pad Thai with Prawns, Pad Cha Seafood and Green Papaya salad. I am a sucker for Pad Thai so I get stuck into those glass noodles and prawns. I've never had Pad Cha before but I find out it's a stir fry with chilli, thai basil, wild ginger, dried shrimp, snake beans, tomatoes and chilli. These dishes are very flavoursome.

Finally, there's the Choo Chee Whole Trout which is drizzled with coconut cream, thai basil, kaffir lime and chilli. The fish's face gets my attention and I feel like it's watching me but I get over it quickly and taste it's crunchy skin and fish flesh along with that coconut cream based sauce.

Summary: For a fresh burst of Thai flavours, bring your friends along for a shared meal at Wild Ginger. The rocks is a gorgeous and historic area which means you are dining in fine architecture and legacy.

Price: Mains are 20-30 or you can do a set menu for $50 or $65 if you want more variety

Location: 106 George St, The Rocks

Opening Hours:  
Monday - Wednesday 12pm to 10pm
Thursday to Saturday 12pm to 11pm
Sunday 12pm to 10pm

Weekend Food Escapes attended Wild Ginger as part of a media famil courtesty of Cardinal spin. All words, photos and opinions are my own.