Girly get together. In need of a restaurant that serves good food and has comfortable ambiance so the girls can talk without the need to shout. Pomegranate was actually very much a last minute decision, as none of us have been there and it had good reviews from customers, so a reservation was made before 6 (for dinner at 7) and off we went.

Driving along the buzzing Darling Street, going deeper and deeper into Balmain, we FINALLY found Pomegranate, located away from the main strip of restaurants and shops, and with minimal signage to make it hard for those who didn't remember the street number. As we walked in we wondered why we bothered making the reservation because it was empty at 6:50, not that it mattered much anyway. As we poured through the menu, customers started streaming in and sure enough, by 7:30 every table was filled! Then the girls finally decided on what they wanted, ordered, got told we might have ordered more than we can finish but didn't care, because we wanted to try everything we could possibly fit in our stomach.

Entree came and we were delighted. The violet dumplings with mince and coriander was gorgeous, made into individual flowers and served on spoons. We wondered how we could possibly consume them - they were just so beautiful. And then we bit into it the sweet fragrant filling... and were sent to heaven. We also had a taro roll - thin tofu sheets wrapping taro, water chestnut and cashew nuts, it had such delightful taste to it, great texture and flavour that is gentle but distinct, with a lovely subtle sweet chilli dipping sauce that was nothing like what you get from the usual local Thai. The entrees were so delicious we simply anticipated main for the rest of the time.

Then our main dishes came. We ordered duck Choo Chee, crispy pork belly with fragrant light curry sauce, and fried barramundi in sweet chilli paste. Then of course we piled rice onto our plates ready for attack. The waitress tore the meat off the duck thighs and spread it evenly over the aromatic curry sauce, so I didn't bother taking a photo of the dish. Oh this was heavenly! I'm partial to duck and this was one of the best ducks I've had, the curry was mild, sweet and very aromatic, I could eat it all night. The pork belly was deep fried so the crackle was very crispy, which made it a bit hard to chew, but still delicious. The light curry sauce had lemon grass and lime leaves in it, and was mild, very fragrant and appetising. The fish was more potent because of the chili, but I find myself quite happy consuming through the fish without having to water down the fire because it was bearable for a chili wuss like me. And it came with little flower shaped egg pieces decorating the dish - we were absolutely in love with them and called them the "Hello Kitty Eggs" because they were so cute.

To pick a favourite out of the three was not too easy - it was the contest between the duck and the fish - as I know I'm always partial to a duck and curry, but I really enjoyed the fish too. In the end I gave the duck the "Cindy's favourite dish for the night" crown. Not saying the pork was bad, but it was just not as tantalising as the other dishes.

The waitress was right - we did order too much - we managed to finish the dishes only because they were so delicious, and it would have been a waste. We were so stuffed because the servings were great. Of course we didn't tell the waitress we were stuffed - because she would have said "I told you so" and possibly refuse our dessert orders. Yes we had dessert too..... A baked taro cake with coconut ice cream, and a roasted rice cake with coconut ice cream. I opted out because I didn't think it was possible to have more food pushed into my stomach (which was protesting at being overworked). The desserts had texture and flavour that we all thought "hm... thats interesting... what is it". I guess we are all used to the classic western desserts like creme brulee or chocolate mud cake.

We had such a wonderful time at the restaurant, we ended up leaving after everyone had left - first in, last out. We felt sheepish towards the waitresses because they were waiting for us to finish so they could pack up and leave! But then we were great value for money because we ordered more food than anyone else. Highly recommend this place, I really couldn't find much flaw there, loved the interior (no tacky Thai decorations), waitresses were efficient and polite, food was fabulous, price was right (just under $150 for all the food and bottle of wine we had). We will definitely remember and revisit this place!

Pomegranate Thai Restaurant - 191 Darling Street Balmain