Thai fried rice, three ways: egg, Thai and Tom Yum

10 July 2026 · 3 min read · Rim Thang Thai, Glenelg

Ask anyone who grew up in Thailand what they ate on an ordinary night and fried rice comes up fast. Khao pad is everyday food — the dish you order when you're hungry, in a hurry, or just want something you know will be good. It isn't fancy, and that's the point.

Good fried rice comes down to two things: rice that's been cooked and cooled so the grains stay separate, and a wok hot enough to toast them rather than steam them. Get those right and everything else is seasoning.

We keep three fried rices on the menu at 39 Jetty Rd, all made in the wok when you order, all from $18.90. They look similar on paper. They eat very differently.

Egg fried rice: the gentle one

The simplest of the three: egg, carrot, peas and corn tossed through rice in a garlic-infused oil. No chilli, no strong sauces, nothing to argue with. It's the plate we suggest for kids, for anyone easing into Thai food, and for the person at the table who ordered a fiery curry and needs something calm beside it.

It also does quiet work as a side. A serve in the middle of the table stretches a couple of mains into a proper shared dinner.

Thai fried rice: the classic

This is khao pad as you'd find it across Thailand — egg, ripe tomato, garlic, Chinese broccoli and brown onion, with your choice of protein, seasoned with oyster sauce. The tomato might sound odd if you haven't had it this way, but it softens into the rice and gives the dish a gentle sweetness that plays off the savoury sauce.

Chinese broccoli is the other tell. Thai cooks use its stems for crunch and its leaves for a faint bitterness that keeps the plate from being one-note. If you only try one of the three, make it this. One note for allergies: it does contain oyster sauce, so mention it when you order if that matters.

Tom Yum fried rice: the bold one

Take the flavours of our most popular soup — hot, sour, heavy on the kaffir lime — and put them into rice. Egg, garlic, onion, mushroom and ripe tomato get tossed with Tom Yum seasoning sauce, so every grain carries that sharp, fragrant edge. If you love our Tom Yum soup but want something you can eat with a fork on the beach wall, this is it.

It has real character, so tell us how spicy you'd like it. We make every dish to order, which means the heat is yours to set — mild through to Thai hot.

Picking your protein

All three come with your choice: vegetables or chicken at $18.90, prawns and calamari at $23.90, or the combination — chicken, prawns and calamari — at $25.90. A fried egg on top is $3 well spent; in Thailand, a khao pad without one feels underdressed.

You'll find all three in the fried rice section of our menu. Eat in under the lanterns from 5PM, or order takeaway — fried rice holds up in a container better than almost anything else we make.