I  RARELY return to an eatery once it’s been reviewed, but there are a handful, including The Loft on Adelaide Street, in Fremantle, I will make an exception for.

I recently ate there with my brother and his wife, and four days later was back for a quick lunch squeezed in between deadlines.

The food is always great, and so well priced it could become a regular workday haunt.

When I tell people about The Loft, they have no idea where it is, which is hardly surprising, because it’s one of those little gems tucked away at the daggy end of town, just up from the forlorn old Spotlight store in the Westgate Mall.

Modern and clean, the tiny Loft bustles with pleasant efficiency.

Pad cashew

D’Angerous Dave and I usually go for the pad cashew nut ($11.95), as the vegetables are always crunchy and the cashews plentiful, but this week we gave the green curry and pad Thai a go (both $11.95).

The green curry was spicy, with just the right balance of fish sauce and palm sugar, said D’Angerous, while slurping the aromatic sauce.

I was tucking into my generous heap of noodles: piping hot, they were laden with vegetables and tofu and were as good as you’ll get anywhere, even Thailand I reckon.

Earlier in the week my sister-in-law Sally had the pad cashew with chicken and raved about the tenderness of the meat and the great Thai flavours.

Having tasted her meal my brother regretted ordering the massaman curry ($11.95); but when it arrived he was won over by the first mouthful—waxing lyrical as he sampled the tender slow-cooked beef.

Massaman is said to be a Persian dish Thai cooks made their own in the mid-19th century. It relies heavily on coconut milk, peanuts and potatoes, along with sundry spices.

Many times D’Angerous and I have shared the Thai fish cakes ($6.95), which are always perfection on a plate, pleasantly chewy with a lime and coriander zing.

And the chopped peanuts topping the sweet chilly sauce is a delicious touch.

Eatery owner Jitta Rajittaranon, who hails from Bangkok, reckons he makes the best coffee you’ll find anywhere.

Last week he took out the Delish Expo’s barista challenge latte art award; so not only do his brews taste good, they look pretty too.

by JENNY D’ANGER

The Loft
60 Adelaide Street, Fremantle
9335 3524