Anytime I visit Thai restaurant in Hong Kong, I pray I could find one that tastes like what Thai people really eat. Most of Thai food outside Thailand is either bland, creamy, or something that a typical Thai will say this is the first time they have this dish!!! Also, thai food is not hot hot hot all the time but a judicious use of “fresh” herb and chilli results in a mellow blend of flavor that wins the world all over. So, a person who just love high heat food like Sichuan will be very disappointed with a good Thai food.
Back to Sala Thai. Finally, I was glad to see a renowned Thai food critic recommended Sala Thai in Thailand. Nevertheless, what surprises me is that the score is really slow on Sala Thai. I usually consider Openricer’s opinion an extension of what the general public is. Even worse, some claims that Sala Thai tastes the most “un-Thai”, partly due to their use of Chinese languages in the menu! I sympathize their attempt to serve authentic Thai food to people who said they like real Thai food but was caught off guard by the comments.
Before I start, my note is only limited to the food I taste. Definitely, it does not mean all food the restaurant serves tastes good… Not all restaurant can do that, I believe.
To sum it up, I like Sala Thai and consider the restaurant one of the only authentic Thai cuisine I ever had in Hong Kong following my two visits over the past 1 year. The latter one is in late May 2009.
For the first timer to Sala Thai, I suggest you order from the main list below. Also, you should order white rice to accompany all dishes even with appetizers as that’s how Thai enjoys their food.
Main list
Appetizer:
1.Fish cake
a.good and taste Thai though a bit on the salty side
b.However, much less chewy than what you get in Thailand. I guess this is a “toned down” to HK taste bud as they seemed to like softer food… Look the cake texture in Hong Kong
2.Spring roll (just to please the crunchy tooth people) – you won’t miss much if you don’t order this dish
Main
3.Lime Steamed Fish (not quite a steamed dish but more of a hotpot style – a nice balanced of sweet and sour with no creamy taste like Thai foods that was catered to westerner’s taste. It tastes exactly like a good one that is served in Thailand)
2.Vegetable:
a.Fried kale with crispy pork (very typical Thai) or with salty fish (a combination which came much later that the crispy pork) or
b.Stir fried morning glory with NO SHRIMP PASTE – a bit of chilli in here just to spice it up, not a hotter than hot food for sure. Thai NEVER makes a combination between shrimp paste and morning glory and, I think, it is more of a Malaysian/Indonesian food.
Dessert:
·Coconut agar, which was surprisingly good and even better than most available in Thailand, and had no rancid smell, which is typical of coconut based food/dessert in Hong Kong. A good mouth cleansing and palate refreshing indeed.
Other food not recommend/I don’t like or receive negative review are
1.Pad Thai – It is similar to the China town style not common outside Thailand, ie soy sauce dominated, but wasn’t really good. The style Pad Thai knows all over the world came from this restaurant in Thailand, http://www.thipsamai.com/. So avoid this dish.
2.Exploded crab or something like herb fried crab. This is actually not a Thai dish but more of a tribute to HK styled typhoon shelter fried crab. It is highly recommend by the Thai food critic but I didn’t try. I suspected that it should be good, particularly with a bigger crowd
3.Tom Yum Koong (TYK): It tastes as if they have Hong Kong people in mind, creamy and hot without the fragrant and aroma of herb that was supposed to be the hallmark of Tom Yum Koong. I found HK people couldn’t stand the fragrance and aroma of spice and some said it’s too pungent from them, hence the tasting profile you have here for TYK vs. the real thing in Thailand. The best of its kind will be “clear” soup (think consumme), with aromatic and naturally sweet broth, a touch of acidity from lime as well as the addition to perfect with only a “hint” of hot and spicy from a bird eyed chilli, not the super duper fire burning soup. It’s getting more difficult to find this authentic style, even in Thailand. The latter version of tom yum koong is when they starts adding some thickening like coconut milk, milk or cream into TYK initially to make up for the freshness and natural richness of shrimp but was made worse when it’s outside the country, making it taste closer to spicy ‘creamed’ soup! Try if you like Hong Kong style, avoid if you’re looking for a real Thai TYK
4.Dessert: Mango and sticky rice – got negative review from the food critic but sounds like a typical sticky rice with mango that was abound in Hong Kong so it might not be the end of the world if you want to order.
For those who insisted the food in the list wasn’t good, I suggest other “Thai styled” restaurant like Thai Basil at Pacific Place. It tastes good on its own but is beyond me why they called what they served and named the restaurant Thai.
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