Red Spoon Top Ryde Review

Short post from me today, can you believe that this post has been sitting on my to-write list for around 2 months now. My back-blogging has become quite severe hasn't it? As a food-blogger, a lot of my friends come to me for suggestions on places to dine at but at times even I am lost for ideas for new places to dine at, especially when I am geographically challenged. By that I mean, I'm in one side of Sydney and all the places that I want to eat at are on the other side of Sydney. So I was contemplating dinner options, tossing between the stock standard Chinese at Eastwood or something a bit different and I chose that something different by going to Red Spoon, a place that two of my close friends recommended to me back in high school (yes I have a terrific memory when it comes to food which is why I am still able to write this post, too bad it doesn't work for my law exams).

As a franchise the ones in Castle Hill and Gladesville have fared much better when it comes to their Urbanspoon score and whilst I cannot say that I disagree, I do feel that the feedback may be a tad harsh in light of my experience. Overall the food wasn't bad but it wasn't special nor could it rival the famed Thai restaurants of Newtown.

Prawn and Crab Jasmine Fried Rice- Jasmine Rice Fried, Crab meat, Prawn, Tomato, Egg, Spring Onion, Slice of Lime and Cucumber $18.90

I'm really confused or at least question why the above description is necessary, sometimes it is good to know what the ingredients are but other time it is not appropriate and the above fits the latter category. This was my dad's so I can't really comment on it other than the fact that he didn't find any crab in his meal.

Roti Bread $3

This would have to be the most disappointing roti known to man- even the frozen ones I buy at supermarkets are better than this. So this was the dull, lifeless roti that came for me, as you can tell from the picture there is nothing to get excited about, nothing to tantalise your tastebuds (sorry). Just avoid is my word of advice, I'm still scared from thinking about it so I won't brood on it any longer.

(Entree) Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Green Papaya Salad- shredded green papaya, lime juice, roasted peanuts, beans, tomatoes $14.90

So as I had a late lunch that day, I opted for a entree and roti for an early dinner. I regret the roti (that much is obvious) but taking my friend's advice I did order the soft shell crab though I was very confused when I saw the menu because there was no non-soft shell crab salad dish. I did enjoy the crab, found the plating a bit awkward with the salad because it left you with very little room to move before your food found its way to the table. Great crunch from the papaya, the acidity really did help cut through the oily aftertaste from the crab. So glad I ordered this because it was quite nice though I would have appreciated a soft shell crab main.