Krua Thai, Taman Usahawan Kepong

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Sunday November 30, 2008

Authentically Thai

By STEPHEN NG

This restaurant sets out to give its patrons Thai food at its best.

THE name “Krua Thai” in Thai literally means “Thai Kitchen”.

It is not an exaggeration to say that this one-and-a-half-year-old Thai restaurant at Taman Usahawan Kepong churns out what its owner said are “truly authentic Thai dishes.”

In charge: Su Phaporn.

Hailing from Chieng Rai in Thailand, Su Phaporn, who speaks Hokkien as well, said the idea behind Krua Thai is to give customers a truly Thai experience when they savour the dishes here.

Her traditional recipes come from her aunt, Nora Abdullah and sister, Thanavee, who is married to a Malaysian.

“Between the two of them, they have about 30 years of cooking experience,” she enthused. Su Phaporn is the owner and operator of the restaurant herself.

To ensure the cuisine is as authentic as possible, Phaporn said both the cooks and the ingredients, such as the shrimp paste and tamarind, are imported from Thailand.

“Our customers, however, like the idea that our cooks can either prepare the food to suit the local taste or follow the original Thai recipe,” Phaporn added.

“We usually recommend our customers to try the real spicy Thai style Tom Yam. We want them to explore the dishes which are popular in the Northern provinces of Thailand.”

Their signature dish is the Thai-style deep-fried fish with Nam Khun sauce and vegetables. “For the fish, we use Siakap. Most of the ingredients are imported from Thailand while all the sauces used are home-made, which taste like Tom Yam with added chili padi. The Nam Khun sauce is poured onto the fish, just before having it,” said Phaporn.

Among the authentic dishes that have been introduced here is the raw prawns served “sashimi style”, with fish sauce and bird’s eye chillies.

The Pandan leaf chicken, which is a favourite at all Thai restaurants in the country, is good here too as it is prepared and cooked using a slow frying process to ensure the chicken absorbs the spices and the flavour of the screwpine leaves used to wrap the chunks of chicken meat.

Signature dish: Thai-style deep-fried fish with Nam Khun soup and vegetables.

Also on the menu are the seafood otak-otak in banana leaf and crispy catfish served with the spicy and sour mango salad.

Restaurant manager, Tim Chuah said the cooks are always happy to introduce new dishes upon request. “If customers crave for a certain Thai dish that they have tried in Thailand, they can always let us know,” he said. “Our cooks will prepare the dish.”

The Thai food served here are prepared in the Northern Thai style as it is served in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai style. Tom Yam is their all-time favourite.

People who eat at Thai restaurants will not go without Thai Tom Yam. Besides the Red Tom Yam, the restaurant also serves Clear Tom Yam, which most Malaysians are unfamiliar with.

“We always recommend that our Malaysian customers try the Clear Tom Yam for a change,” said Chuah. “We allow our customers to choose the way they want their Tom Yam to be served, from sweet and non-spicy, to truly spicy authentic Thai.”

Thai sashimi: Raw prawns with lots of bird’s eye chillies.

To have the King prawns fresh, Chuah suggested regular customers to pre-order one day in advance. “Most Malaysians are not adventurous enough to eat raw prawns the way it is eaten in Thailand,” explained Chuah. “We even have customers who ask for the prawns to be stir-fried the moment they see it is served raw.”

Another Thai dish is Kai Jioew Chak Om (Omelette), the preparation of which, Chuah said, uses leaves that taste like local petai, but is from another species of plants available only in Thailand.

Chuah said that the response from Malaysians is so good that after celebrating its first anniversary in April this year, they are now considering a second outlet either in Ampang or Petaling Jaya, where they will apply for “halal” certification. The present restaurant is pork free but does not have a “halal” certification.

They also provide catering services. The restaurant is open from 11am – 10pm, seven days a week, including public holidays and weekends. On weekends, the restaurant offers free Thai deserts – either “Tap Thim Grup” (water chestnut with jelly) or Sogo – Pumpkin with coconut milk.

Restoran Krua Thai is located on the row parallel to the front row of shops facing Jusco Kepong, or just behind the Standard Chartered Bank and TM Net. Address: 39 Jalan Metro Perdana Barat 2, Taman Usahawan Kepong, Kepong Utara, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-6250 8104.

Source:

DIRECTIONS TO GET THERE:
(If you don't have a GPS, print out this direction)

Depending on where you are coming from, Restoran Krua Thai is located on the row parallel to the front row of shops facing Jusco Kepong, or just behind the Standard Chartered Bank and TM Point in Kepong. Address: 39 Jalan Metro Perdana Barat 2, Taman Usahawan Kepong, Kepong Utara, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-6250 8104.

If you are coming from PJ, use the LDP.

From the LDP Sri Damansara toll, instead of keeping to the left after Caltex, keep to the RIGHT lanes so that you can take the flyover that will join you to Jalan Kepong. Travel along this road all the way. You will see on your LEFT, BHP and Esso Petrol Stations and the MRR2 flyover on the right. IMPORTANT: DO NOT TAKE THE MRR2 FLYOVER; instead keep to the left lane, drive past the two petrol stations and a bus stop.

From the bus stop (which is just below the KTM overhead bridge), here is a Y junction. Take the RIGHT lane that goes on a smaller flyover. This is Jalan Kepong. Further down from the flyover, you will see a mosque on the right and a traffic light junction ahead. From here, just drive straight ahead until you see Jusco on the right. Now, keep to your left lane until you see a LEFT junction. Make a left turn here. There is a Petronas Station here. From here, take the left junction immediately after Petronas Station, which will lead you to Krua Thai.

Krua Thai is actually located on the row of shophouses just behind the row that fronts Jusco on the opposite side of Jalan Kepong. But it is easier for us to just wait at Petronas station.

If you are coming from Jalan Kuching, this is the direction:

· Drive along Jalan Kuching until you come to the junction that turns into Jalan Kepong.

· Drive along Jalan Kepong all the way until you see ahead of you the big Jusco building on the left side of the road.

· At the traffic light junction JUST BEFORE Jusco, turn RIGHT. You will see Petronas station here

No point calling the restaurant, as the people working here are mainly Thai workers. They won't be able to guide you.