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2009-08-23
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If it wasn’t for KC and Isaac, I would have never known about Thai Som Tum 泰爽甜. Tucked away in the corner of an indoor market in Fortress Hill, this Thai restaurant caters mostly to Thai people and customers from the neighborhood. I suppose it was quite rare for them to serve big group like us, as the pacing of the dishes were a bit chaotic, but the service was in general quite friendly.Starting with appetizers, the Thai Styled Raw Shrimp (泰式鮮蝦刺身, $52) was plated beautifully like a shrimp “cro
If it wasn’t for KC and Isaac, I would have never known about Thai Som Tum 泰爽甜. Tucked away in the corner of an indoor market in Fortress Hill, this Thai restaurant caters mostly to Thai people and customers from the neighborhood. I suppose it was quite rare for them to serve big group like us, as the pacing of the dishes were a bit chaotic, but the service was in general quite friendly.
Starting with appetizers, the Thai Styled Raw Shrimp (泰式鮮蝦刺身, $52) was plated beautifully like a shrimp “crown”. While the shrimps themselves were not as crunchy (爽口) and big as the ones I had at 泰之家 (the best version I had so far), they were covered with a mix of chili, lime, fish sauce, and lemongrass all blended into a zesty and refreshing dressing. Likewise the Green Papaya Salad (青木瓜沙律, $35), one spicy and one not, were both very appetizing on a hot day. I liked how the papaya “ribbons”and tomato wedges crunched in my mouth and unleashed the dressing with a spicy and citrusy kick.
Just when my appetite got stimulated, Chicken Satay (串燒雞肉, $48) dutifully fulfilled my craving for some meatier food. On my skewer had four succulent chicken thigh cubes marinated in coconut milk and spices which lent a subtle coconut aroma and juiciness to the meat. The peanut sauce became almost obsolete though more nuttiness wouldn’t hurt. Grilled Pork Neck (燒豬頸肉, $48) was properly grilled from raw to finish rather than pre-cooked and grilled for a final touch, and the resulting char provided depth in flavors to the moist and tender pork slices.
I instantly fell in love with the Fried Kaffir Leaves (炸檸檬葉, $42) which was a first for me. The half floral and half lemony fragrance of the kaffir leaves left a pleasant aromatic aftertaste in my mouth. Someone please put them into a bag and market it as the new-aged potato chips!
Everyone loved the 3 Flavored Fried Tilapia (香脆三味炸魚, $68) which consisted of a huge pile of fried fish slices and a fried fish bone with head and tail. One must appreciate the nice presentation of the dish, a rarity in rustic Thai food. The crispy fish meat didn’t suffer from any dryness, and the thick chili sauce on top was an ingenious addition to punch up the overall flavor. A dish that pleased both the eyes and the palate indeed.
Having the Boiled Cockles (白灼鰤魽) was a bit like playing roulette as I had some that tasted a bit rotten but others very fresh. The latter were full of bloody juice and people who like them would indulge till the last drop (which I did). We were a bit shocked when the Stir-fried Crab with Chili (香辣炒蟹, MP) arrived, as it resembled the Hong Kong styled typhoon crab (避風塘炒蟹). Unfortunately it didn’t taste as good as the 避風塘 version as the garlic and scallions were a bit burnt and greasy. The mild note left me wonder where the chili or the Thai seasoning had gone.
The Curry Crab ( 咖哩炒蟹, MP) fared slightly better with the curry sauce gaining some points with its creamy texture from the egg. It was again lacking spiciness or any curry sensation, but at least the sweetness wasn’t cloying with the crab meat. Of course the chef could have done a better job in stir frying the crab as the meat was still sticking to the shells and hard to extract.
Stir-Fried Clams with Thai Chili Paste (辣椒羔炒蜆, $68) was hardly spicy and the smothering sauce only left a salty note in my mouth. The deceptive appearance of the Lemongrass (Jumbo) Shrimps (香茅蝦, $68) got me excited for a second but the bland mushy shrimp meat was pretty much inedible. Did the chef forget that we wanted lemongrass with this dish?
The famous Pad Thai (炒貴刁, $38) was one of the reasons that we came here. Sure, it was not greasy and the accompanied eggs, vegetables, tofu, and dried shrimps were all good on their own. But using ketchup instead of tamarind juice/paste for preparing pad thai was rather unusual, and the owner’s explanation of this being “地道泰北”flavor was quite dubious. Regardless of the authenticity, the flavor of the pad thai was just like 西炒飯 as mentioned by 唔食都知唔好食, and certainly not to my liking.
As we approached the end of the meal, I couldn’t believe it when I saw the Marinated Salty Crabs (醃鹹蟹仔) which wasn’t even on the menu. I always love cured food (鹹漬物), and these baby crabs topped chili sauce immediately spoke to me. Learning from KC I sucked up all the innards of the crabs and the unique cured crab flavor was just amazing! I would call this incredibly 鹹鮮 but people who don’t like it would probably call it 鹹腥.
With a lot of free flowing beers and wine and a surprised appearance of a “abalone pudding” for a birthday girl, we ended the meal with an adequately made Mango Sticky Rice (芒果糯米飯, $35) and lots of cheers and laughters.
Overall, the food at 泰爽甜 was a bit inconsistent, with the chef seemed to be making selective errors on all the stir fried dishes. Some of the dishes and the economic price certainly deserve a smiley face, but with the flawed dishes and the environment, I think there are more reliable Thai choices in Kowloon City. Of course if you are in the area it is still worth a visit, but just make sure you don’t make selective errors like the chef did.
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