Joseph Lu (盧家炳) and Chang Chia-chu (張家駒) knew each other when they were growing up around Chiang Mai, Thailand's second-largest city, but neither had any idea they would meet again in Taiwan and open a restaurant.
Both moved here two decades ago. Chang, now 38, wound up fixing air conditioners, while Lu, 40, learned English and opened a branch of the Jordan language school chain. They met again by accident several years ago, and Chang, who had been a cook in Thailand, asked Lu if he wanted to go into business together.
The result is Fresh Thai (泰鮮), which serves Thai food and a few dishes from Yunnan, the Chinese province that borders Thailand. Located on the diagonal lane that branches from Roosevelt Road across from National Taiwan University's main entrance, Fresh Thai features more than 100 items on its menu, all priced under NT$150.
PHOTO: RON BROWNLOW, TAIPEI TIMES
As is the case with many Thai restaurants in Taiwan, Chang has altered his recipes to suit the local palate. "My specialty is making the food suitable for Taiwanese taste buds," he said. "In Thailand people like their food to be very spicy and sour, but you can't do that here."
This does not mean the food is bland. Topped with shaved red chilies and squeezed lemon, the chicken tossed in herbs (雲南椒麻雞, NT$100) delivers a deliciously sour-and-spicy jolt upon contact with the taste buds. The chilies and lemon are added right before the dish is served, after the chicken has been marinated in salt, sugar and rice wine, then deep-fried.
A good rule of thumb when ordering Thai food for a group is to choose dishes, including a vegetable and a soup or curry, that provide a mix of contrasting colors and a balance of the four basic flavors — sweet, salty, sour and spicy.
Customers like the coconut chicken (椰汁雞肉, NT$100), served in a sweet red coconut curry seasoned with fish sauce and topped with fresh basil; as well as the lemon pork (辣炒豬肉, NT$100), slices of pork marinated in vinegar, salt, pepper and MSG for a day before being stir-fried and topped with cilantro. Squeeze a slice of lemon on top to balance the meat's savory flavor.
For vegetable and tofu dishes, Chang recommended the water convolvus with shrimp paste (蝦醬空心菜, NT$100) and the spicy tofu with seafood (泰式海鮮豆腐, NT$100). Lu said his favorite was the seafood salad (涼拌海鮮, NT$100).
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