Thara Thong, Newcastle

Where: 541 Hunter Street, Newcastle

Prices: Entrees $9 to $14; soup, $9 to $13; other dishes, $9 to $24; fish, market price; desserts, $14

Chef: Ben Parichat

Wines: small wine list.

Hours: Lunch, Monday to Friday; dinner, Monday to Saturday.

Vegetarian: 12 dishes.

Bookings: 4929 6722

Bottom line: About $90 for two without drinks.

The minute you walk through the door you know this isn't your usual neighbourhood Thai takeaway. Perhaps the white tablecloths, wine glasses, better quality table ware, soft lighting and Thai artefacts and wall hangings give the game away. It won't take long to discover you have stumbled on some of the more authentic Thai food in town.

You know you are in the right place when the mixed entree ($14) comes with a dipping sauce loaded with fresh diced chilli, cucumber, tomato and herbs. The poh pia tod (spring roll) is freshly rolled and crisply fried with a well flavoured and crunchy filling. Tod mun (fish cake) has that distinctive spring without being rubbery and a refreshing coriander and lemongrass tang. Peek gai tod (marinated chicken wing) is finger licking good, with crisp golden skin hiding juicy meat.

There are at least two dishes that are must-haves in any Thai place worth its fish sauce. Tom yum goong (hot, sour prawn soup, $9) won't destroy your taste buds but is hot enough for most chilli freaks and not too hot to hide the fragrant basil in the broth. And my favourite, the classic North eastern Thai salad, larb ($17.50), combines finely minced pork, chicken or beef with ground rice for a texture contrast, then adds coriander, chilli, lemongrass, diced green onion and fish sauce for a refreshing flavour combination. A sprinkling of lemon juice adds zing and the carrot rose and butter lettuce garnish lifts the colour profile.

There's plenty of colour and flavour, too, in the octopus de Siam ($22.50). The baby octopus is stir-fried with chilli paste, lemongrass, red onion, sweet basil and a plethora of carrot, snow peas and broccolini. There's not a hint of overcooking of the octopus and again, the flavour infusion is well balanced.

While all the usual suspects are there - pad thai (Thai noodles), green and red curries - and there are plenty of snow peas, broccolini, cauliflower, baby corn and carrot in the combination fried vegetables, I wonder why there aren't more of the Asian vegetables which are freely available in the supermarket. Just a bit of pak choy or choy sum would surely add a touch more authenticity to the mix. And this applies to most Asian restaurants in town.

If you really can't go without dessert, bypass the more Western offerings like creme brulee, pear in red wine and chocolate fondant, and go for Thai comfort food - sticky rice and taro, or black sticky rice with custard and coconut milk ($14). Steamed, and moistened lightly with custard and formed into a disk, the black sticky rice sits on a square of banana leaf, crowned with fine sweet egg noodles and garnished with a more conventional strawberry and orange slice. The curious sweet-salt balance in the rice keeps bringing you back for more.

Takeaway is still available at prices a little lower than a la carte, but whichever you choose you may soon be joining the scores of faithful customers who have long made Thara Thong their local.