This Thai restaurant is located in Sheung Wan, at the junction of Hollywood Road and Possession Street, with an interesting old-time feel for decor, from the plaque outside, the ceramic tiles tabletop, the metal chairs without backrest, to the concrete staircase leading to the second floor you would find in old buildings, or the design of the wallpaper featuring advertisements on newspapers in the old days.
Arriving early in the evening, before the dinner section was opened, we ordered some drinks at the bar section to wait. I had the Thai Lime Mojito ($100) while my wife had the mocktail Longan Nahm ($55). My cocktail included Nusa Cana Rum, lime, Thai basil, mint, soda, and charred sugarcane. With the elements of a mojito but also having the extra spicy note of the Thai basil, it was refreshing and having the right balance of alcohol, sweetness and acidity. It was a nice aperitif while we waited. Soon we were shown to our table. The tables were small and very close to each other, and while it could not be rated as comfortable, it was acceptable in my opinion, and did provide an alternative experience.
We ordered Yum Som O ($148) as starter. It is a pomelo salad, with prawns, deep-fried shallots, cashew nuts, garlic, dry coconut, paired with sweet and sour tamarind dressing. Really good in taste, the salad has a nice mix of sweetness from the pomelo, with some mild spiciness which was highly appetizing, and the crunchy texture provided by the shallots and dry coconut gave a great complement to the prawns and pomelo. Overall a burst of flavours and enjoyment.
Then we had Gai Yung ($158), which were chicken thigh marinated for 24 hours in garlic, pepper and coriander, then grilled till crispy on the skin, and served with jhim jeaw, the Thai chili dipping sauce. Rich in flavours, the chicken got the nice note of the herbs and fish sauce, tender in texture, while having the crisp skin. The dipping sauce was equally impressive imparting a nice supplement to the chicken. Maybe some people would find it a bit salty from the fish sauce but I quite like it.
Another signature dish we had was Pla Phao Glua ($298), the salt-crusted whole seabass stuffed with lemongrass, pandanas and lime leaf, then cooked over fire, and paired with a chili dipping sauce. The fish was quite sizable, with a great fragrance from the stuffed herbs which removed any fishy note. The salt-crusted skin was too salty to be eaten, but giving a nice taste to the moist flesh which was cooked to perfection. My favorite in the evening.
We then ordered two desserts to wrap up. The first was Khao Niaw Mamuang ($95), mango with sticky rice. The mango was decent, not very sweet but retaining a nice acidity to balance the sticky rice, which got a truly luscious coconut milk. To me it was simply too sweet and making it difficult to finish the whole portion.
The other dessert was Ice Cream Guti ($80), with fresh young coconut ice cream served with toasted peanut and sweet corn. Beautifully prepared, the flesh of the young coconut had been peeled out for ease of eating, and the crunchy sweet corn provided a good contrast in texture to the ice cream. Good in taste but again the sweetness was just too daunting.
The restaurant also gave us a complimentary Thai Guava with Chili and Lemongrass Sugar. Even though the fruit was mild in taste, there was a delicate taste which I enjoyed, and you could dip the sugar to provide the interesting additional flavors of chili and lemongrass. First time for me to try those types of sugar, they were special and gave us a nice conclusion for the wonderful meal.
With a bottled water ($60), the total bill on the night was $994. The restaurant did not charge the 10% service charge common in HK, and customers could tip at their discretion. Even though quite high in price and not exactly comfortable on the seats and setting, the food was nicely done. There are bits and pieces that they could improve but I applaud the restaurant for creating a nice evening for us eating some nice dishes from northeast Thailand.
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