I’m not going to lie, if there is one thing living in Australia has bestowed on me, it’s a healthy (or not so. You decide…) addiction to Thai food. Whilst the UK enjoys a large tasty melting pot of Indian and Chinese cuisine, the Aussies sure know how to put on a good Thai spread.

Now, Sydney has it’s fair share of great vegan Thai restaurants. Blossoming lotus, a modest buffet restaurant in Newtown which boast a giant “Vegetarian Food” sign outside, is my ultimate fav. Their mock lemongrass “ribs” and crispy tofu strips have been my faithful friend from the very first week I came to Sydney.

However, when a couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to visit the beautiful quaint Tasmanian city of Hobart, I encountered a whole new kind of vegan Thai heaven. Monsoon Thai Fusion was recommended to me by a friend from back home who has been living  in Hobart and had been blown away by their vegan dishes. Naturally I had to investigate her claims of divine yumminess and, despite not actually being hungry at all after a late lunch, I went all out. Just for you guys, obviously…

The very first thing you will notice before even stepping foot into Monsoon is its awesome Tuk Tuk parked cheekily outside the restaurant, followed quickly after by the warming glow from inside which beckons you in from the cold Battery Point street. The glow does not mislead you. Inside is a crackling open fire, dainty fairy lights and cosy nooks of wooden tables which makes it feel more like your naturally stylish best friends house than a Thai restaurant.

The menu took two views online before arrival and a further 15 minutes of browsing to decide. The options are really good. I’d recommend bringing a bunch of people and ordering everything so you can try it all! As it happens, we simply got into a rhythm of continuously ordering dish after dish once we had devoured the last one; not really caring if we needed more.

But it was hard not to resist when you had  vegan entrees such as Spicy Vege Duck Roti, Vege Duck Pancakes, Japanese Seaweed Salad, Tempura Button Mushrooms and vegan Squid Rings. That was before you even got to the mains of Honey Sesame Tofu, Sambal Chilli Tofu, Bangkok Noodles Pad Thai, vegan BBQ Bento, Mock Roasted Gluten Pork with Jasmine Rice, Golden Tofu and Green Tasmanian Veggies…to name just a few!

We went for the Tempura mushrooms and duck pancakes to start, and moved on to the Roasted Vege Gluten Duck Curry; a divine Vegetarian Gluten Mock Duck Curry w/ Zesty Pineapple and Aromatic Herbs. All dishes are freshly cooked per order, and the curries are served & kept constantly heated at your table. The food was literally the best vegan Thai food I think I have ever`eaten; including throughout my 3 weeks in Thailand!

There was no space left for dessert but I was very excited to see they had coconut ice cream; a perfect pallet cleanser to the aromatic spices in the main dish.