Balancing the Flavours of Thailand
By Simon James
The Thai meal is made up of a combination of multiple dishes
amid tastes that either compliment or contrast with each other.
They are all served simultaneously with a synergy of three key
taste ingredients; sweet, sour and spice. Thai cuisine does
not have an academic point of reference with regards to the
make up of the combination; it is a matter of personal taste
and varies from region to region, village to village and even
house to house.
There are three types of dishes that will always be found on
the Thai table; a salad, a curry and a seafood dish. We invited
each of the restaurants we visited to prepare three dishes in
each of the categories for us to taste. Moreover, at the end
of each wave of dishes our tasting team evaluated the qualities
of each dish in terms of ingredients and the balance of taste
to determine which their collective favourite was.
Taste is subjective and the dishes we selected may or may not
be the ones that you would have chosen, however, hopefully this
approach will be beneficial to get more out of your next Thai
dining experience.
Baan Khanitha
A delightful dining experience set in a Rama V era house in
an environment surrounded by Thai art and antiques. The food
style is authentic central region Thai cuisine that is not overly
spiced. With a menu that has remained unchanged for 15 years,
they clearly are not going to be influenced by fads and trends
plus we can be assured that it is of real Thai taste.
Of the three salads they prepared we started with Spiced
winged bean salad with shrimp, chicken and coconut which
had a fresh crunchy texture with a chilli tingle. We then moved
onto Spicy pomelo salad with shrimp that had
a much softer and less spicy tang. Finally, a Spicy
lemongrass salad with shrimp which had a more
power chilli dominated spiciness was the tasting team’s choice.
In the curry category we started with Red duck curry
that had a nice rich sauce. We felt that this would combine
best with the spiciness of the lemongrass salad. Then we moved
onto the Yellow chicken curry with potato that was
smooth, creamy and easy tasting. This is more a one course dish
than a taste that could be combined to achieve the overall three
taste element harmonious balance. The Green curry
with shrimp and young coconut was the most interesting
taste with a raw Thai spiciness, the right combination of chilli
and citrus lime. Our conclusion was that we have selected this
dish in combination with the pomelo salad and was the team’s
curry of the night.
For fish and seafood we started with Seafood mousse
with king prawns wrapped in a banana leaf. Normally
this dish is served in individual portions, however, this interpretation
is of much better quality, it had been wrapped in foil and grilled
in the oven. The texture is rich, thick and creamy interspersed
with seafood; clearly this was the dish of the night which fairly
stands as a dish not to be paired and was our favourite seafood
dish. The second was Stir fried river prawns with tamarind
sauce with which we would add to the duck curry and spiced
winged bean salad triangle. The third was Steamed snow fish
with chilli and lime that was moderately spicy, which we
would have combined with the green curry and pomelo salad.
Here we found two sets of three dishes that worked nicely together
along with three dishes that are best eaten individually, taste
is subjective so our conclusions could be different to yours.
Kinnaree
The restaurant is set in a stand alone set back from Sukhumvit
Soi 8 by a driveway that opens out into a romantically charming
hidden garden. There is an alfresco terrace bar for
pre-dinner drinks prior to going into the house to dine. To
compliment their modern Thai cuisine, the restaurant uses vibrant
colours in its decoration that gives a Thai twist with semi
classical gold leaf stencilling. All the design elements work
well together to create the right setting for a modern Thai
dining experience.
The first of our three salads was Spicy pomelo salad,
one with spice attitude than most that complemented nicely with
the acidity in the fruit plus had an additional nutty taste
coming from crushed peanuts. Next we savoured in a very interesting
Deep fried papaya salad; the tempura element gave a
nice crunch and defused some of the spiciness. Then with the
Grilled prawn mango salad we discovered a very pleasant
sour spice combination. This section proved tricky for us to
pick a clear favourite as the taste of each of them were fighting
for attention, however, the Deep fried papaya salad
had an edge over the rest.
Then onto the curries, the first we tasted was Yellow prawn
curry with assorted vegetables, a nice creamy rich balanced
sauce. The Roasted duck red curry with lychee showed
us some very interesting flavour combinations that worked well
together. Finally Massaman curry;
the lamb was perfectly tender plus the sauce had a taste that
lingered on the tip of the tongue and was a favourite curry
due to the spice blend as all three curries were similar with
coconut milk based sauces.
For our third wave of dishes we started with Sea bass two
oceans; steamed with lemon that had a subtle flavour and
deep fried with a sweet and spicy sauce which we felt would
combine better with other dishes. Next to be served was Soft
shell crab stir fried with pepper and garlic. Then finally,
River prawns wrapped in pandan leaves
that was baked and served with an outstanding sesame and ginger
sauce, made this dish exceptional and was our favourite.
We were very pleased to have discovered this hidden gem in
Sukhumvit Soi 8, the quality of the food was excellent and the
service highly attentive.
Patara
The arrival at Patara is like finding light at the end of a
dark narrow street, a palatial mansion standing like a radiant
gem in a gracious setting. The exterior lighting highlights
each facet of the intricate yet balanced exterior and the mood
is set by lanterns hanging on the trees in the garden. Once
inside it feels cosy and warm with an understated style, combining
some Thai and Chinese design elements that creates an overall
International-Asian chic residential feel; contemporary yet
traditional.
We started with traditional Thai primrose salad,
the ingredients were all nicely balanced, none trying to overpower
another and the primrose flowers gave a nice crunch to the dish;
the flavours as well as textures made this our dish of choice.
Then we tasted the Grilled aubergine and crabmeat which
we discovered an interesting chilli kick in the dressing. The
Prawns with crisp Chinese beignets tossed in lime and lemongrass
salad had a very unique taste plus was a dish we had not
seen elsewhere. As we were about to pour the sauce onto the
salad, our waiter cautioned us by saying, “Do not add too much
of the dressing or the taste becomes too sour”.
Golden fried crab cakes were served
with a tropical fruit salad, not exactly traditional but we
found that the taste combination worked well together. What
we particularly liked about the crab cakes was that the original
texture of the seafood had been retained and became our pick
of the three. With the Golden fried whole pomfret we
were very impressed with the taste of the lemon grass sauce,
however, the batter was possibly a touch too heavy. Whereas
the Fried soft-shell crab with black pepper had a consensus
that the taste was preferred of its own.
Finally, we moved onto our three curries. The Baby
lamb shank in Panang curry was so tender that
it fell off the bone. The heavily coconut influenced gravy was
deliciously rich plus just a touch sweet and our team’s curry
of the night. The Bean cake green curry with aubergine and
basil had a powerful Thai taste that left a lingering tingle
on the tongue. Then rounding it all off was Fish curry with
seasonal vegetables that was nice and spicy with a citrus
lime overtone.
Throughout the meal we enjoyed good service that was carefully
delivered.
Ruen Urai
This is a century old teak house built in the reign of King
Rama V sitting in the grounds of the Rose Hotel. A year ago
a dramatic transformation brought about a contemporary styled
traditional Thai restaurant where values of the past and present
sit comfortably in harmony. The ground floor looks across the
swimming pool and garden with a more residential feel. Upstairs
it is classical Thai with a collection of antiques and classical
paintings. Once being the home of a herbalist practitioner,
each dish has one dominant herbal flavour.
The first of the three salad dishes were individual Golden
baskets stuffed with spicy minced prawns and garden vegetables.
First taste we got was of citrus from lime with a powerful chilli
follow through and this was the tasting panel’s preferred dish
in this group. Then we tried piquant Pomelo salad with prawns,
impressive chunky pieces of fruit with the taste being more
sweet than sour. The third was Deep fried morning glory,
conveniently cut into bite size pieces amid nicely balanced
flavours of the sauce.
Onto fish and seafood, first to be presented was a Spicy
and sour seafood soup with tamarind juice. There
was a slight smoky taste coming from the dry roasted lemongrass,
however, overall this was a nicely balanced soup and our pick
in this category. Next to follow were Spicy scallops with
oyster sauce that had a very elegantly balanced taste,
possibly a more Chinese taste with some Southeast Asian influences.
A final dish in this category, Stir fried red snapper with
roasted chilli jam had a very interesting sweet stickiness
in the taste.
The first curry brought to the table was Green fish ball
curry stuffed with preserved egg that had a very structured
taste. This was followed by Deep fried river prawns in red
curry served in a deliciously rich tasteful gravy. Then
finally Massaman curry with beef,
the balance of spices and texture of the gravy made it our favourite
curry.
We could see that a lot of thought had gone into the recipe
for all of the dishes. Initially there was the primary herb
taste with the chilli flavour being apparent in the after taste.
Sala Rim Naam
Sala Rim Naam, The Oriental’s signature Thai restaurant on
the opposite side of the river to the hotel offers two dining
experiences. There is an option of being either seated inside
the comfort of an air-conditioned environment while watching
a classical Thai performance or outside on the terrace, dining
under the stars. If the weather is favourable the latter is
our preferred dining location, a river view with a cool breeze
amid Thai music softly playing in the background.
The waiter brought our three salads in leaf shaped glass bowls
on a large circular wooden plate covered with a low flat glass
cloche. The Grilled beef salad had a pleasing chilli
taste with an underlying touch of citrus. The next dish was
the Spicy banana blossom with prawns where we found
a nicely balanced combination of chilli and citrus flavours.
Finally, our pick of the three was the Deep fried
soft shell crab with green mango salad that had
a moderate tasting sauce. In this group, all three salads were
of equal balance.
Then onto the curries, the first we tasted was a Chicken
green curry which we thought had a delightful taste. The
Beef massaman was a classic example of how this dish
should be made, a moderate amount of coconut milk had been used,
however, the texture was more of a soup than a creamy sauce.
The one that grabbed our taste buds was the Red
curry prawn with ripe pineapple that brought a
much appreciated natural sweetness to the gravy.
Moving onto our third wave of dishes, we started with Steamed
scallops with lime that had a well balanced taste, an integrated
combination of sourness. Then to Stir fried blue
river prawns with greens. Our waiter politely
suggested using a chilli sauce that he had brought to the table
as it would increase the taste experience, his recommendation
was invaluable; the dish was excellent and our favourite dish
in the category.
This was an impeccable Thai fine dining experience enhanced
by the pleasure of being on the riverfront.
The Blue Elephant
The Blue Elephant was founded in Brussels in 1980 by Nooror
Somany and her Belgian husband Karl Steppe. Then after having
successful branches in Europe and the Middle East, they opened
a branch in Bangkok in 2002. The site they had chosen was the
heritage Thai Chine Building on Sathorn Road built in 1903,
originally opened as The Bombay Department Store prior to becoming
the Thai Chamber of Commerce building in January 1930. This
is a fine example of colonial style architecture that was revitalized
and restored with meticulous care by Blue Elephant to be their
Cooking School and Restaurant.
For the first of our three salads we started with Scallop
mangosteen where we found a nice balance of spice,
fruit and seafood that left a peppery spiciness in the aftertaste
plus was our preferred dish. The Grilled aubergine with
a spicy topping had a subtle flavour with the vegetable being
the dominant taste. Finally, we were served the Larb salmon,
small cubes of raw salmon that had a good texture in a spicy
sauce, essentially salmon tartar Thai style.
Moving onto the curries, we started with Green curry black
chicken served with roti, a well made example of this dish.
Then we moved onto Forgotten beef curry that is described
on the menu as a mysterious curry with grilled beef; one that
we have not tried elsewhere. Finally, the choice of the table
was Massaman lamb curry. The texture
of the lamb and sweet potato worked well together as both were
of equal density. The sauce was nice plus light with a delicious
creamy taste and our pick in the curry section.
Then moving onto the trio of fish and seafood, we started with
Fresh tiger prawns with black pepper; we discovered
the flavours of the two key ingredients balanced nicely. The
Fried Soft shell crab was dramatically presented and
the dish had a tasty crunch. Nonetheless, the dish that caught
our taste buds was Bamboo fish – sea
bass marinated with herbs such as dill then baked in half a
piece of bamboo. We liked the light, fresh zesty taste and thought
that this would be an ideal single dish served at lunch time
and was the unanimous choice of our team.
This was a nice balanced meal delivered with flawless service.
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