Lemongrass Review

East-west eclectic fusion

The Lemongrass (foodelagis greatious) is a native of Kamerunga Road in Stratford. Lemongrass is best known for its Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, but also comes in handy for traditional western dishes such as sirloin steak and chocolate desserts. The plant has fallen in with the crowds of other spices in the region, claiming that it offers a "flavour fusion" of east meets west. This claim irritates this gardener due to two reasons: it is impossible to meet east with west, and it is a cliché that is quickly becoming eligible for the restaurant review trash pile. Therefore, this scientific description of the Lemongrass will not mention the east-west cliché again. Instead an exciting new term will be used: flavoursome food.

Lemongrass lives up to its reputation as a purveyor of flavoursome food and it excites the palettes of those who dine on its fine leaves. In the beginning stages in the life of a Lemongrass, the Thai spiced pumpkin and coconut soup is a delicious choice. This soup is also available with prawn and coriander wontons, and highlights the versatility of the Lemongrass plant. A Lemongrass main course was twice cooked lamb shanks on mashed potato with roasted vegetables. Characteristics of this meal were soft meat that easily fell from the bone when prodded with a fork, and a fine glaze that produced a slightly sweet flavour.

The appearance of the Lemongrass plant leaves a little to be desired. It is grown in a courtyard setting with lattice walls to allow ventilation and breeze to affect the plant, however the leaves are worn at the edges and perhaps a good dose of watering and TLC could bring it back to prime condition. However, this may be part of its appeal. The dilapidated looking plant surprises you when it is added to a dish where it unleashes tasty flavours upon cuisine, turning it into flavoursome food.

Lemongrass performs best with a clear night and many glasses of BYO wine. Humidity causes the plant to wilt and therefore it requires additional liquids to maintain life. On cool nights however, the outdoor setting is marvellous.

Lemongrass is a very nice restaurant, however the main downfall of the plant that I experienced was the time taken for it to grow. Slightly less than one hour, on a medium occupied night, was the time required for the flavoursome food to reach the dining table. The price of the Lemongrass plant is reasonable, with main size plants costing from $16 to $22.

Lemongrass serves meals that are of very high quality, plentiful, and most importantly delicious. It can be a venue that is relaxing and informal, but be prepared to feel the tropical humidity during the warmer part of the year. Lemongrass is a friendly restaurant, firmly deserved of high accolades for its food. It's great to see the flavour fusion of east meets - argh!

- Diner Diller

Lemongrass	Stratford
Lemongrass restaurant is one of the fine dining restaurants in the dining precinct of Stratford, just 5 minutes from Cairns. They offer a fusion of contemporary flavours with eastern influences to create wonderfully original meals.
cuisines: Asian, Australian, Contemporary, Mediterranean features: A la carte, BYO, Mastercard, Visa discount: 10% discount on food & beverage review: East-west eclectic fusion (21/3/2003) contact: (07) 40552707 | 21 Kamerunga Road
Mini Reviews
marney	14th Nov 2006
best food in cairns! hottest chillie dish u can order ... if u dare.! recommended to anyone who wants an exceptional feed - no questions asked!!! we'll all be back for the menu soon :-) .. ps : great customer service too!!!
Miranda	21st Aug 2006
Lemongrass is one of my favourite eating places in Cairns. The atmosphere is great, the food is terrific and the staff are keep busy but still have time to smile and be friendly. I LOVE IT!!
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