Pira Thai is a small restaurant located outside the city fringe in Unley. This place came highly recommended so I came here expecting a good meal. I’ve also read reviews about how the decor isn’t that great. I’d have to agree. It’s fairly basic, however, it’s still neat and well presented. Their menu offers all your traditional Thai favourites and I’ve heard they do a great Mussuman Beef and Pad Thai here. As mentioned earlier, the place is small with seating for about 20.

As planned, I ordered the Mussuman Beef Curry. The dish came out after a 15 minute wait and was average in presentation. I felt a garnish on top would have made it look better. The beef was lean, tender and well marinated. The beef and potatoes just fell apart when you touched it and all the curry flavours had plenty of time to soak into the ingredients. The sauce had a nice thick consistency, however, it tasted a little zesty. It’s almost as though there was too much lemon juice inside this curry.

My friend had the Drunken Chicken. She said it was good although it was a little bit spicy. I tried a piece of chicken and thought it was nicely flavoured but over cooked.

The staff were friendly and the service was generally good. The atmosphere was relaxed, although if you’re sitting outside, the sun can be a problem during the day. On a warm Summer night, it’s not too bad, if you don’t mind the view of the cars in the carpark. The pricing is reasonable with my main and rice costing under $20.

Best Mussuman Beef I’ve ever tasted? Unfortunately, no. I can think of a handful of Thai restaurants in Adelaide that do it better. If they had got the sauce right, it may have been right up there.

WHERE: 18/13-23 Unley Rd, Unley