Kra Ta Ron

Location: On Lonsdale, Near Swanston
Genre: Thai
Company: Jenster

Decor & Atmosphere: Very typically Thai. Lots of Batik and scary masks and such. Started off a bit rocky with being seated in front of the door but progressed nicely. The owner/manager lady was so lovely. If i were her, I'd get a pissed off coz we were a bit demanding.

The Food: 8/10
We had Thai barbeque which is like hot pot but you can also grill your food. Heaps of fun. We overcooked our food a bit but, hey, you can't be too careful! The meats and squid were really yummy and the soup was delicious by the end. But the alloted portions for two were not quite enough (although Jen and I do eat a lot). We had to order a few additional plates (the additional plates were worth the money. The servings were quite big. Don't get the baby octopus. It wasnt as much fun as it looked and didn't taste so great either. I'd recommend get the beef and pork but not the chicken (it goes flakey) and get extra stock (i think it's free) coz the soup is delicious! And get lots of egg noodle/ rice noodle to soak up the stock. YUM.
The special Thai beverages weren't all that special though. Next time I'll stick to water.

Menu

The Price: Reasonable
At just on $60 for food & drink. So about $30/ person and you'll walk away VERY full.

Fructose friendliness: First let me say, the manager/owner was brilliant. She knew what fructose WAS and was very understanding. She explained there was onion in the soup stock but that they could make it for us without onion. I was like :O wow. She also said they could make the stirfries and things without onion also. Very impressed. The placed seemed clean too and all the food prep seemed exceptional. Of course, coconut curries cannot be changed so some of the menu is still off limits but a definite possiblity for the future.

Overall Impressions: 8/10
Definitely will go there again. Will recommend to others. Good food, lovely staff and not overpriced for dinner (even if we did cook it for ourselves but that's part of the fun)

JeanieEdit
Went back here about a week ago. Now hotpot is buffet only. You have to pay $25 and you get all you can eat of the ingredients provided. I dunno if it's as good value coz my parents and i decided to eat normal dishes.