Sway -brilliantly flavored oysters and thai iced coffee.
It fills me with joy that I get to share with you today about one of my all time favorite restaurants. Sway, also known as Sway Thai, is located off South First street in Austin. (Two new locations coming soon to the Domain and Westlake Hills.)
There is never a day that goes by that I don’t crave their brilliantly flavored oysters, or to bask on their patio while sipping on a thai iced coffee. From Tiger Cry, to Tom Yum soup, everything at Sway will make your pallet sing. I seriously can’t get enough and so it is with much anticipation that I finally present to you Sway Austin.
Identified to passerby’s by the beautiful neon pink lotus sign, the tucked away thai infusion has built up a fortress for high quality food and taste hidden behind beautiful wooden walls opening up to a private patio.
Inside Sway you will find sleep open seating featuring an open kitchen. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting as you slink into a bench near friends and strangers alike.
If you’re fortunate enough to snag a bar seat, you’ll find yourself up close and personal in the action. I enjoy sitting at the bar because it is a very hands on experience as you watch the chef’s prepare the meals creations.
But if I’m being really honest, just dining at this restaurant makes you feel like you are receiving an experience. It’s comfortable, it is familiar, it evokes feelings with every bite you eat, and you just can’t help but feel at home.
However if the weather is on your side, you can’t find yourself a better spot than on the Sway Patio. Slightly shaded but completely secluded from the bustling South First street, you find yourself taken back to a more foreign place, one with asian spices, and tropical flare.
It is probably one of the most magical places to enjoy your meal, so if you can get on the patio, I highly recommend that way of dining.
And now on to the important stuff, the actual food of the matter. There are going to be things that you should try, and you should try them all, they all are good in their own way. Some offering that spice and kick, and some offering that flavor combination that elevates your taste buds, but the things I am about to share with you are just a few of my most favorite things.
I should also mention that the style of the restaurant is to bring things out one at a time as they are ready. So you put in your whole order, of about 3-4 things for 2 people to share and they bring them out as they are finished.
Some things not pictured but should be considered: Oysters, Tom Yum soup, and Phat Phrik Khing.
We kicked the meal off with salt + pepper calamari, the fresh cilantro, the peppers and the sweet fried calamari are bites of pure bliss.
We then went with the Tiger Cry, which is char-grilled hanger steak, red chili nahm jim, thai basil, fresno chile, toasted rice, nahm prik pao. The steak is so tender and such a perfect bite mixed with the rice and the chile peppers. It’s smaller portions, about 4-5 pieces of steak, but it is so worth it for this flavor combination.
Another favorite to try that Sway is known for is the Son in Law, made with crispy farm egg, braised pork shoulder, thick soy, nahm prik pla. You crack and chop the egg up mix it with the braised pork shoulder and then every bite is perfect built with a little bit of everything in the pot.
For me the real star of the menu is the blue crab fried rice made with egg, lemongrass, ginger, peas, scallion, thai basil. Every bit of this dish is fresh and flavorful, the crab is fresh and mixed with the cilantro basil mixture it really is one of the most perfect dishes ever created. I seriously think I could eat this dish every day of my life. And when I visit Sway, this is the dish I consistently always make sure is ordered.
And no meal would be complete without a thai iced coffee, made with sweetened condensed milk, put in a large deep dish glass with a paper straw, this drink makes you feel like you’re on an island swaying with the palm trees eating amongst the gods. And at Sway, you just as well might claim that as it is a divine restaurant serving up out of this world food.
Sway really is one of the best dining experiences you can have in Austin and if you get a chance to go you should really take it. Whether you’re visiting, driving through, or a local, get to Sway as fast as you can.
Now go! Tell them Dine With Shayda sent you– and then tell me what you thought @DineWithShayda.
Sway
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Thai, Asian Fusion
“Dine with Shayda reviews Sway – thai australian fusion restaurant located off of South 1st street in Austin, Texas. One of my all time favorites restaurants.”
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