Thai Fusion Barbecue Restaurant (泰式創意燒烤)
50, Ln. 187, Tun Hua S. Rd., Sec. 1, Taipei (北市敦化南路一段187巷50號); tel:2781-3650. Open:11:30am-2:00pm; 5:30pm-3:00am. Average meal:NT$250(lunch), NT$400(dinner); credit cards accepted; English menu.
PHOTO: CHANG JU-PING
This newly refurbished restaurant has the laid-back feel of a pub or beer house, with its low ceiling, dim lighting, dark wood decor, and pulsating popular music. Indeed, that's what it tries to be, a hub for young people to hang out and have fun. On weekends a DJ spins a variety of Chinese and Western pop songs and gifts such as T-shirts, beer, and other drinks are given to winners of various games.
PHOTO: CHANG JU-PING
Chef Alan Wang (王貴華) has been on board for four months, bringing several delicious set lunch items and authentic Thai sauces for the establishment's all-you-can-eat hot pot and barbecue. After nine years working in the kitchens at such prestigious hotels as the Ritz Landis and Inter-Continental, Wang recently traveled to Thailand to learn to prepare sauces and came up with eight entirely original hot pot and barbecue sauces. Though Wang did not reveal his recipes, he guarantees that all seasonings and ingredients are imported from Thailand.
For the uninitiated in Thai hot pot and barbecue, the staff can offer assistance in selecting from the 20 items for the hot pot and 30 items for the barbecue. Standard meals include marinated steak, lamb and pork, as well as mussel, squid, and crab.
PHOTO: CHANG JU-PING
Ten weekday lunch specials come with three side dishes, soup, rice, dessert and Thai milk tea. Two house specialties not to pass up are the Thai special grilled chicken leg with rice (泰燒招牌烤雞腿飯) and the Thai lemon butter barbecue seafood with rice (泰味奶油檸檬烤海鮮飯).
Mae Nam Thai Food (湄南小鎮)
1F, 45, Nanking E. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei(北市南京東路四段45號1F); tel:2712-5643. Open:11:30am-2:00pm; 5:30pm-10pm. Average meal:NT$200; Credit cards accepted; English menu.
Mae Nam Thai Food, with three outlets in Taipei, has graciously laid out a user-friendly menu for guests to peruse the 70 delicious dishes that the chain has on offer. Chef Wu Pi-hua (伍丕華) says he is reluctant to adjust to the appetite of locals and insists on maintaining the genuine taste of Thai food. His steadfast adherence to this principle serves his restaurant well.
A steady stream of customers have returned over the past five years for Mae Nam's mixture of sour, spicy and sweet flavors. One of its most unusual specialties is the bright orange Thai-style ice tea, the color of which Wu guarantees is achieved with only tea and milk.
For his Thai cuisine, Wu says it is essential to strike a balance between spicy, sweet and sour dishes. Most dishes are fried, such as the fried kun-mae with sweet and sour sauce (
There is also a variety of lighter, cold dishes prepared without oil, including the popular green papaya salad (
Patara (泰軒)
12, Ln. 247, Sec. 1, Tun Hua S. Rd., Taipei (北市敦化南路一段247巷12號1F); tel:2731-5288;2775-4059. Open:11:30am-2:30pm;5:30pm-9:30pm. Tea time:2:30pm-5:00pm(Saturday and Sunday). Average meal:NT$275; credit cards accepted; English menu.
No doubt aided by its spacious, well-lit eating area and soothing view of a garden, Patara is listed by American Express as one of the top 50 restaurants in Taiwan. Manager, Angela Hou (
Even common dishes such as fried rice with seafood and pineapple served in a pineapple shell become unique delights at Patara. But the essence of Thai food lies in its sauces, Hou said. The restaurant's curry sauces, for example, come in three colors: green, red and yellow. A typical red curry dish is juicy and tender Panang Gai, or chicken panang curry. Yellow curry sauce is the least spicy and is often cooked with potatoes to add a slightly sweet flavor. Other popular sauces are the spicy num jing jiao, a blend of ground pepper, onion, lemon and a variety of other Thai herbs used to season the grilled spicy beef sirloin (
Diners need not worry though about excessive spice, as Hou says the restaurant has reduced the degree of spiciness at the request of local customers.
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