Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

Thai Style Fried Rice (RM7/USD2.30 for small portion) – With prawns, squid, eggs, onions and stalks of mustard greens; served with a piquant and slightly tangy condiment of chopped garlic and bird’s eye chillies in a sweet-spicy chili sauce.

Thai cuisine has almost always never failed me. Especially in times of dire cravings and turbulent climates. You know what I mean.

This inconspicuous restaurant in Puchong came into the radar not too long ago, when we dropped by Mek-T for some good old Terengganu classics. The former Mek-T, I might add. They have since ceased operations under further notice. What a waste.

Chiang Rai Style Restaurant. Guess the signboard cleared things up explicitly; a northern Thai cuisine specialist within a neighbourhood dominated by Chinese restaurants (Leong Ya Indah, Kajang Sup Pedas and various ‘dai chow’ outlets)? Right on.

Thai Tom Yam Seafood (RM12/USD4) – A luscious claypot of creamy Tom Yam soup; laden with liberal hints of spices and a spicy tinge that won’t set the tongue on fire yet enough to tingle the tastebuds.

The menu came in a laminated piece of A3-sized cardboard, with thumbnails for the uninitiated. Or the visually-inclined ones; can’t be bothered to read the descriptions.

We settled for the usual …. Tom Yam Seafood served in a claypot, a serving of Fried Pork with Garlic and Thai-style of Stir Fried Petai (Stinkbeans) with Prawns, and coupled them off with a portion of Thai fried rice for two.

Fried Pork with Garlic (RM13/USD4.30)

Thai style Stir Fried Petai with Prawns (RM15/USD5)

They do serve an array of interesting dishes like Claypot Glass Noodles with Prawns, Minced Pork/Chicken with Basil and Century Eggs as well as a very seldom seen Raw Tiger Prawns with Thai Chillies, Mint, Garlic and Lime Juice (Gung Che Num Pa) and even fresh Australian oysters with lemon; at RM8 per piece.

The dishes arrived within 5 or so minutes, and everything came within seconds from one another. We dig in into the fried rice with a slightly zesty flavour from the squeezed lime, and laden with sweetness from the prawns and squid. The Tom Yam proved to be worth its mettle; lending a nuance of subtle fire without torching the palate. The addition of ‘la-la’ clams into the broth added bites and a fresh perspective to the otherwise generic version in most stalls.

The Petai (stinkbeans, this author’s undying love for anything pungent has breached a feverish point!) with prawns and an unbelievable amount of chopped onions was delicious and brought back good memories from home. How I miss Grandma’s version, really.

And last but not least, though the Fried Pork could have been better had they deep-fried them to a burnt/charred crisp, but the addition of fried garlic (lots of them beneath the pork) was a welcoming addition. And as I have mentioned … anything pungent is GOOD FOOD.

The meal for two came to RM50/USD17 inclusive of drinks. We did not have any white rice as the fried rice portion was suffice for two to share. Most of the dishes come in 3 sizes; depending on the number of diners and of course … dependent on YOUR appetite too.

All in all, a place that I will not hesitate to recommend if you’re around Puchong and hankering for a good bite of Thai feast. And the Raw Tiger Prawns dish does sound alluring, in spite of the ‘fear factor’ of it all.

CHIANG RAI STYLE RESTAURANT (non-Halal)
No 12A-01, Jalan Kenari 18A,
Bandar Puchong Jaya,
47100 Puchong, Selangor
Tel No : +603-8070 9686
Business hours : 10.30am – 3.00pm, 5.00pm – 10.30pm