Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

I never hide my slightly biased preference towards foods with an inherent kick; robust flavours playing over this jaded tastebud, laden with strong spices and infused with fragrance from a mix of herbs; possibly indigenous to a certain God-knows-where village.

Hence you won’t usually read about plain soupy noodles or porridge that much on this blog, in comparison to Indian cuisine or even Thai cuisine.

#1 – Thick, almost to a creamy extent Tom Yum with a tapered down spiciness; possibly to suit the local palates. Not the BEST out there, but definitely one of the better ones around. Unless you like your Tom Yum to be not as ‘murky’ and with a killer fiery kick.

And thus, almost immediately after the long CNY break, we ventured to Section 5 of PJ for this hidden gem of a authentic Thai restaurant. Or so I was informed.

The name Khunthai did ring a bell, and a glance over the menu justified my suspicion. This Khunthai and the one in Butterworth (read the post HERE) are one of the same; and they also have another branch in Kepong. So let’s see how this sweaty (we chose to be seated in the non-air conditioned seating area because one of us was too busy contributing to air pollution ….) experience worked out against the more established (and definitely  comes with a better ambience) Khunthai in Butterworth, Penang …..

#2 – Pandan Chicken – Wrapped in fragrant pandan (screwpine) leaves then deep-fried before serving on the spot. So you get crispy leaves, but try not to eat those. In case you like the taste of dry leaves. The chicken was okay, but did not register in my mind after the initial bite.

#3 – A famous Thai version of the salad; with deboned chicken feet tossed with onions and tomatoes, with a squeeze of lime juice, a dash of fish sauce perhaps, and lots of hidden fire power within; the bird’s eye chillies. However, this appetizer faltered miserably.

#4 – Thai Style Steamed Fish – We initially asked for the siakap, but the fish was all sold off. Hence they gave us some grouper (or was it?). You can (and really SHOULD) refill the gravy for the steamed fish; as topping up ensures the fish does not go dry from the continuous charcoal fire from beneath.

#5 – Thai Omelette with Basil – Simple, slightly greasy, but goes well with the sweetish chili sauce. Alternative of course, includes the oyster omelette or the one with prawns.

#6 – Thai Style Fried Beancurd – Served with a side bowl of erm … Thai salad? Combining various julienned vegetables (cucumber, onions) in a nutty Thai chili sauce.

#7 – Stir fried kailan with salted fish – The fibres. Enough said.

Overall, the lunch was passable, but I still felt the quality of the cooking paled in comparison to their counterpart up in the northern region. In fact, I don’t find the urge to return again and again; as I have tasted a rather good Thai feast (halal) at Sabye-Sabye over at this rundown shopping centre (supermarket?) on Old Klang Road. (you can read a post by Bual-Bual Kosong), but no picture was snapped. Too bad.

In fact, if compared to my personal favourite Thai food stall in Ipoh, this one fell short off the mark. To an even greater extent. Or maybe we did not order the right dishes? Heard that the fried chicken tendon is good, but they ran out of tendons that same day. Again … too bad.

And no, they were NOT ambassadors for Khunthai.

The meal came to quite a hefty sum for a simple Thai restaurant with an authentic touch, supposedly. Close to RM30/USD10 per pax, if I am not mistaken. I even took the liberty to lose the bill …….. Talk about the losing passion.

Now I wonder, where should I head next to satisfy this incessant cravings for a good bowl of Tom Yum?

KhunThai Village Restaurant (PJ) Sdn. Bhd. (www)
No.6,Jalan 5/44, Petaling Garden, Off Jalan Gasing,
46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Tel & fax: 603-7781 7523