THAI HIGH AT JING THAI

The nice thing about living in the Klang Valley is there are plenty of nooks and corners with hidey-hole kinda eateries. Jing Thai falls into this slightly off-the-beaten-track category; it is right under one’s nose but you’d be clueless until a foodie friend leads you there.

Netizens who had visited rated Jing Thai favourably so my curiosity was piqued the minute we set foot there. The pork-free resto has been in business for eight years with new owner Brandon Yap determined to make it even better than before.

Its semi open air concept encompasses rustic bamboo clad walls encircling an open courtyard. The area can fit about 40 tables with a few of them sited in an air-conditioned section. According to Brandon, spring water is fed into the tanks where his live fishes such as jade perch and tiger grouper are kept. As a restaurateur who’s adept at Thai, Asian and Western cooking, Brandon explains some of the dishes bear slightly fusion influences in them.

One of his most experienced staff tends to the barbecue, grilling customers’ orders on request. We love the large BBQ Cockles (seasonal price) but the grilled Lamb Chops (seasonal price) is decent too. Word has it the sought-after grill-to-order salt crusted perch or tilapia requires advance order and a minimal wait of 45 minutes.

Beware of the firecracker hot Tom Yam Seafood (small RM20, medium RM34) which looks deceptively harmless until you sample the clear seafood laden broth. Its explosive taste grabs you at the first mouth but for chilli fiends who enjoy breaking out in sweat, this soup should set your adrenalin going.

Thai salads are rad thanks to an invigorating combination of sour, briny and zingy hot flavours. Unless you’re averse to eating bizarre parts, the slightly crunchy, QQ mouthfeel of Chicken Feet Salad (small RM16, medium RM22) is ideal for kick-starting the appetite.

 

Similar tasty nuances appear in the switched up appetisers of Thai Style Abalone Salad (RM26) and slippery Cold Glass Noodles (small RM13, medium RM20) with chopped wood ear fungus, onion and cherry tomatoes on a bed of lettuce. Both do a bang-up job of setting the tastebuds ablaze before the arrival of main dishes.

Thai-Chinese influences are evident in the offerings of Thai Style Lime Steamed Squid (seasonal price) and Thai Style Lime Steamed Tilapia (seasonal price). Chopped garlic, chilli, lime juice, fish sauce and fresh coriander are central to these dishes; the saucy robustness amplifying the fish and squid’s inherent sweetness.

If you like inventive dishes with an unexpected twist, the Thai Style Chicken (small RM18, medium RM28) with shredded torch ginger is commendable. Think of yong choong gai or deep-fried chicken topped with crispy onion rings and gooey tangy-sweet sauce only in this instance, the chunky chicken pieces are covered with fragrant torch ginger strips.

Of the trio of curries we sampled, I’d recommend the Thai Style Curry Crab (seasonal price). You need to give the resto advance notice though as crab supply isn’t consistent. Well-spiced with an egg whisked into the gravy, the fresh crab chunks easily won us over with its natural sweet freshness amidst the assertive spices.

Personally I wasn’t too hot about the Red Chicken Curry (small RM18, medium RM28). The melding of Myanmarese, Indonesian, Nyonya and Thai proves too many spicy influences will spoil the gravy although the creamy curry scented with lemongrass passes muster in the taste stakes.

Likewise, Malay and Indian nuances are discernible in the house speciality of Special Thai Style Prawn Curry (small RM35, medium RM48). Rich and mildly hot, this is a dish created for local palates but holds little appeal for moi.

Green relief comes in the form of Pucuk Paku with Sambal (small RM13, medium RM18), a nice plate of young fern tips stir-fried in pungent chilli and shrimp paste. As with any Thai meal, plain rice is a compelling canvas for savouring the main dishes served.

We wrap up dinner with a simple Coconut Pudding with Sago. A Myanmarese-Thai creation, this Thai coconut agar-agar dessert drenched in palm syrup and sago pearls is light counterpoint to the rich curries earlier.

For reservations, call JING THAI RESTAURANT, tel: 011-1088 9666. Address:

Lot 1397, Jalan PSK 1, Taman Bukit Serdang, Seri Kembangan, Selangor. Opening hours: Daily from 11am to 2.30pm and 5pm to 11pm

THAI-TALISING TREATS FROM SURISIT PJ

Hot on the heels of Surisit Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) comes Surisit in PJ, after its maiden success as the first Thai kopitiam of its kind to open in 2011. Owner Rivon Gill remains fired up in his enthusiastic quest to bring simple, home-style Thai food to Malaysians and Klang Valley residents love that. The new PJ outlet looks like your average 'tai chow' resto in most neighbourhoods; simply furnished with bright, flourescent lighting but air-conditioned that ensure dining in comfort.

Fried prawn cakes to get your meal rolling

You can either savour a one-dish meal on your own or round up a gang of pals for a typical communal sharing experience. I'd go for the latter for a good sampling of different stuff from the menu.

We like crowd-pleasing starters: Fried Prawn Cakes (RM14.90-6pcs, Thod Man Kung) and Catfish Mango Salad (RM18.90, Yam Pla Duk Foo Ma Mung) to whet the appetite. The little patties bring bursts of zingy hotness to the palate while the mildly tart salad has a well-balanced mixture of tantalising flavours and textures; cashewnuts, sliced onion and shredded mango thrown together with tiny dried shrimps in a wickedly appetising sour-spicy-salty dressing.

The outlet's Thai-style Otak-otak comes in a coconut shell. Eye-catching and robustly spiced, it's like eating spoonfuls of delicate savoury mousse.

Pork dishes are big with Surisit fans and this PJ outlet has several lined up including the famed Crispy Fried Pork with Shrimp Paste, Fried Kaffir Leaves and Chillies (RM19.90, Moo Thod Kapi). Aromatic and amply studded with bird's eye chilli, the Minced Pork with Thai Basil (RM16.90, Phat Krapao Moo Sap) should be enjoyed with plain white rice. 

It's unthinkable to eat Thai food without tom yum so a pot of Spicy Galangal-flavoured Seafood Soup with Coconut Cream (RM32.90, Tom Kah Thalay) was duly included. As expected, the broth packed a real punch - despite the innocent looking clear broth, the chilli heat ensured our tongues were scorched but heck, that's how a real tom yum should be.

One of our fave Thai dishes has to be Claypot Glass Noodle Prawns (RM39.90, Kung Op Woon Sen) with coriander & garlic. Perhaps we had left the dish too long for photography - the glass noodles was a tad soggy for our liking but the sizeable prawns made up for that little grouse.

Also the Thai-style deep fried squids with salted egg (RM19.90, Plamuk Phad Khikhem) passed muster. It was no worse than what one usually find at 'tai chow' stalls so no quibbles from us on this.

Hmm...somehow the flavour dimension seems much more muted during our dinner. Even the Steamed Fish with Lime (RM42.90, Pla Nueng Prik Manau) overall garnered so-so feedback...either we were expecting stronger, more robust accents or the cook has gone far too easy on the requisite spices and flavourings.

Still, all is not lost. We found some comfort in the Stir-fried Beef with Chilies and Thai Basil Leaves (RM18.90, Neua Phat Bai Grapao) - a scrumptiously punchy serving that made no bones about rolling with the hot & meaty nuances. 

The Prawns Fried with Long Beans and Thai Shrimp Paste (RM17.90, Thaw Fahgam Phat Khapi Kung) played its supporting role adequately. It wasn't a showstopper but just aptly dependable of fulfilling our green needs.

Rounding our meal off are ubiquitous dessert treats that most Malaysians have come to cherished: Red Rubies with Coconut Milk (RM7.90, Tap Tim Grop) and a portion of Mango Pulut served with Coconut Milk (RM10.90, Khaw Niau Ma Muang)

 

Visit SURISIT THE THAI KOPITIAM, No.3 Jalan 20/14, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel:  03-7865 7507. Biz Hours: Mon to Fri: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
and Saturday and Sunday: 11am – 10.30pm

CURRY-ING FLAVOURS AT KARIGUYS

 

Dinesh Nair with his mom who's the chief cook at KariGuys

Once upon a time back in 1951, Damodaran Nair began plying his Indian food from a push-cart at Pintu Padang in Raub, Pahang. The former cook for British settlers soon made good on his food business, expanding it to a wooden restaurant in Sempalit – Raub’s largest village.

Do the sambal...with prawns

To please his largely Chinese clientele, the savvy Domadaran tweaked his curry recipes, toning down the heat to suit their palate. The rest, as they say, is culinary history.

Today, Damodaran’s famed repertoire of dishes are capably replicated by his daughter-in-law at KariGuys, a modest Indian restaurant tucked away in a corner of the Bangsar suburb. Owned and run by brothers Dinesh and Ramesh Nair, they are now the proud custodians of their grandfather’s precious recipes. Walk in and you'd find Chinese-style marble and wood-topped tables, chairs and stools set against an exposed brick wall and further in, a chalkboard feature wall.

I’m a big fan of Indian rojak and the Rojak (RM7.50) at KariGuys is surprisingly up to scratch. One can easily down double servings of it in one sitting thanks to the irresistible combination of shredded yambean, beancurd puffs, fritters and hardboiled egg doused in that scrumptiously smooth, rich and well-spiced Sempalit peanut sauce.

That aptly paved the way for the restaurant’s signature dish of Kari Ayam Sempalit (RM6.50 per pc). The large chunks of chicken is lean and juicy while the mildly creamy but flavourful curry gravy sets the tastebuds tingling; drawing its robust nuances from dried chilli, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garlic, ginger and curry leaves, enriched with coconut milk.

Likewise, the Sempalit Fried Chicken (RM6.50 per pc) is ‘to-die-for’. Marinated in a special house blend of eight spices for 12 hours, we can’t get enough of the super-crisp skin (look Ma, no floury batter!) and moist, tender meat.

Nasi lemak fans should try the sublime Nasi Lemak (RM9.50) here which comes with a choice of chicken curry or fried chicken.

If you prefer white rice, the Sempalit Mutton Peratal (RM8.50) and Prawn Sambal (RM8.50) are great accompaniments to spice up your meal. The former uses a signature blend of 11 different spices to cook that piquant dish while roasted and pounded dried chilli lends the latter its toasty chilli accent.

Those who have friends in tow will do well to sample the Fish Head Curry (RM65 – red snapper, RM75 salmon). Bentong’s famous taufu pok (beancurd puffs), ladies fingers, tomato and brinjal wedges lend extra substance to this mildly hot offering.

Diners can complete their meal with vegetable dishes (RM6 per portion) available. Take your pick from spiced brinjal, stir-fried cabbage or French beans with carrots or ladies fingers.

While the Sempalit Curry noodles (RM8) doesn’t float my boat, it’s a viable option for those who eschew rice. 

For dessert, try the Sugee Cake – a luscious, buttery slice of sublime heaven to wrap up your meal on a subtly sweet note.

Set lunch and dinner from RM12.75 onwards per person comprising 1 main course and 2 vegetable dishes with rice are also served daily. The restaurant also offers catering services.

Check out KARI GUYS at 24, Lorong Ara Kiri 2, Lucky Garden, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-2201 9388; 017-812 6595 from 11.45am-8.30pm daily.