Only recently did I start loving
Thai cuisine, my taste buds were first
awakened when I had my first ever Tom Yum soup at the Roseleaf Cafe. The eye watering
heat, the tantalising ginger, the lingering taste of lemongrass, I was
hooked. My mission every Tuesday was to
make sure that I reached early to the cafe to get my weekly dose of Tom Yum. The
cafe even had my number in case they made the soup on another day, I was that
in love. Sadly my happiness was short lived since they stopped making the soup
soon after. Luckily for me, there are Thai restaurants scattered all over
Dubai and that is how my interest for Thai Cuisine grew from Tom Yum to all
things Thai related.
Located in Media City, LittleBangkok's brown, orange and green color scheme looks so warm and
inviting compared to the very neutral and lackluster lobby. The space is divided into several dining
areas, the booth area that is lit with spherical shaped pendants made of
manipulated thin strips of wood, the general area that is lit with a semi
transparent colorful fixture and the comfortable sofa area that is covered with
umbrellas used as lighting pendants. Through the open kitchen I enjoyed watching the chefs busily run around from station to station getting things prepared , the smell from their steaming pans made my stomach
rumble.
We ordered a Som Tom Salad (papaya salad), Goong Todd (crispy battered-fried prawns), Har Gow (steamed prawn dumplings) and Gaeng Ped (red curry). We had only been waiting for around
ten minutes when all our plates arrived, it was a pleasant surprise since the
place was more packed than usual and I was expecting a longer wait. We started with the papaya
salad which was flavorsome and a nice beginning to our dinner. Next were the
crispy prawns that were covered in a thin, smooth layer of batter with a soft
prawn centre that went perfectly with the sweet chilli sauce. As of late I have
had an incessant craving for dumplings, so this was the plate I was looking
forward to most. The dumpling parcel was delicate but still sturdy, the prawn
inside was smooth and soft and was seasoned nicely. Finally there was the red curry, I had ordered the dish just for myself
but it looked like it could feed a family of five. It was mildly spiced with
coconut milk, tofu, carrots, bamboo shoots and Kaffir Lime. The tofu was a
refreshing addition lowering the intensity of the heat , the carrots were cut in circles with a zigzag
edge adding a nice texture to the plate. The combination of ingredients went
well together reminding me why I love Thai food.
Needing something refreshing to ease the heat that was in my mouth we decided to order dessert. We got the Kao Neaw Mamuang and the Saku Cantaloupe. My mouth does not usually water over
desserts that do not include chocolate but I was surprised to notice that I was
excited to try these out. The first dish was the mango sticky rice, the mangos
tasted so good cleansing my palette from the spiciness of the curry. Although
the mangos were delicious I did not particularly like the sticky rice , it did
not have enough coconut milk and felt more like a savory dish than a sweet one.
I had ordered the second dish after reading
that it had tapioca pearls that are found in the bubble tea drinks that have
become a craze all over Dubai. I love tapioca pearls not because of their
popularity but because they remind me of my summers spent in Australia with my
cousins drinking our Easy Way while roaming the mall. The dessert came in
a martini like glass with tiny transparent tapioca pearls anchored in a sea of
coconut milk, shaved ice and cantaloupe balls. It is a very intriguing dish one
that borders the line between edible and drinkable. The only thing that I would
have changed is that I would have loved if they incorporated larger tapioca
pearls ones that we could taste rather that tiny ones that got lost in the
coconut milk.
The restaurant experience as a whole was enjoyable, the
staff was very friendly and always smiling. Their food was quite good and
exciting although not the best I have had. An addition is that they have a small pantry of ingredients and
products from Thailand, I bought some biscuits covered in chocolate that I have
yet to try but if you are keen they have some interesting options. Moreover, on certain days they have an all you can eat offer for a bargain price but
you have to finish everything on your plate otherwise you need to pay for the
dishes you did not finish. Have a try, let me know how it goes.
No comments:
Post a Comment