Located on the ground floor of the newly renovated Mandarina Crown Hotel in Taipei, Thai & Thai opened its doors for business late last year.
The sleek, modern and in some aspects quite un-Thai interior of hanging beads, dim lighting and stylish yet delicate wall hangings was designed by Italian interior designer, Paola Dindo. The decor is doubtless one of the reasons the restaurant has become such a popular venue among Taipei's fashion and finance yuppies.
PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS
While the decor makes for a relaxing atmosphere, it is, of course, the food that has led to the restaurant's growing popularity. Every day, whether at lunch or dinner, large numbers of hungry diners with a taste for the spicy zing of Thai cuisine are happy to wait the 30 minutes or more it sometimes takes to be seated.
The wait, however frustrating, is well worth it. There are over 150 mouth-watering dishes on the menu, many of which have been specially created for the restaurant by resident chef Rapeeporn Sillapakit, who has 13 years' experience cooking zesty chili-filled dishes at hotels and even at the Thai royal palace.
Sillapakit insists that all the spices be specially imported from her native Thailand to give her food that "genuine" Thai flavor.
Along with Thai staples like Thai fried rice noodles (NT$220), papaya salad (NT$250), tom yum soup (NT$300) and various curries (NT$190 each) Sillapakit has recipes for a whole range of aromatic and scrumptious creations fresh from the Thai royal kitchens.
Some of her specialties include steamed sea bass with chili and lime sauce (NT$480), a dish that looks almost too good to eat, fresh crab cooked in spices (NT$580), a subtle, yet spicy dish, and the cook's seafood platter (NT$2,500), a massive collection of food from the sea fit for a monarch.
These dishes not only add a touch of color to any feast but also are guaranteed to have taste buds buzzing for a long time afterwards.
It's not only the savory dishes that put Thai & Thai a notch above the rest. Even the desserts are better than those at average Thai joints. Try the coconut ice cream (NT$120), the glass noodles in coconut milk (NT$120) or the taro ball in coconut milk (NT$120) to satisfy your sweet tooth.
To keep the already extensive menu fresh and interesting, up to 10 new creations are added each month.
To avoid a long wait at the door, diners are advised to make reservations three days in advance.
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