Several weeks ago I braved the sticky floors to catch up with a friend at Colonel Tan’s (AKA Revolver Upstairs) for a final dinner before he jetted off to regions unknown. While I associate Revs with hipster bands and trashbags, I’d heard that Karen Batson of Cookie fame had transformed Revolver Upstairs into a cracking American themed Thai restaurant during evening hours.
We drank Rekorderlig pear cider with our starter of corn fritters with sweet chilli ($9.50), which were satisfyingly crispy and excellent for soaking up booze.
The pork and prawn donuts ($12.50) were accompanied by a chilli jam that was a piquant mixture of chilli, peanut, coriander and vinegar.
As we wanted to eat pretty much everything on the menu, we deferred to the superior knowledge of our waitress to narrow things down. The first dish she recommended was the stirfried daikon cake with mushrooms and bean shoots ($14.50).
The gooey daikon cake went well with the umami sauce and Chinese fungus. She also recommended the ‘Crying Tiger’ ($14.50), which was deliciously rare slices of beef with chilli, thai basil, soy and lime.
Colonel Tan’s provides a reasonably priced oasis for Southsiders.
