KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — The first thing that catches your eye is a giant vat filled with ice at the entrance of the restaurant. And in the mush of ice? Bottles of soft drinks, chilled and ready to be served to thirsty passers-by and customers.
How absolutely refreshing! Or, as they say in Thailand, "Sodchun!”
For this is a Thai restaurant, which in itself isn’t particularly surprising; Sri Petaling is one neighbourhood that has an above average share of Thai eateries.
What is interesting, given how many Thai restaurants here are non-halal, is that Sun Thai Food doesn’t serve pork. Indeed it is run by a Chinese Muslim family.
This makes it the rare gem of a Thai restaurant in Sri Petaling where the kitchen is headed by a Muslim chef.
Walking in, we feel as though we are transported to some beachside locale in Thailand — be it Phuket or Pattaya — thanks to the profusion of bold colours and feisty Thai pop tunes playing.
The vermilion walls are plastered with prints that evoke Bangkok and other Thai cities.
Some or the neon lit signs will amuse any frequent visitor to our northern neighbour: here a famous convenience store brand, there a pink-hued government savings bank.
It is not so much a sense of nostalgia but a pang of longing, to return to a second home you weren’t aware you even had, much less missed.
A rainbow of paper lanterns hangs from the ceiling, reminding that Loy Krathong is but a few months away. Scenes of small sois (alleys) and street stalls, where Sun Thai Food gets its inspiration.
Perhaps the most stunning is a giant map of Thailand on the back wall, filled with vibrant illustrations of boat markets and ancient temples, majestic elephants and yellow rubber duckies.
It’s a slice of Thailand transported to Sri Petaling.
And so it is with their menu, filled with simple dishes and easily recognisable classics such as Thai style steamboat, garlic lemon steamed siakap (sea bass) and the iconic Thai instant noodles — the brand Mama mee, in creamy tom yum broth and layered with sumptuous seafood.
We revive our palates with a fresh coconut and a glass of pandan juice, beverages you can’t go wrong with in any Thai restaurant.
Similarly, pad krapao gai (stir-fried holy basil with minced chicken) and seafood pad Thai are safe bets for the protein-and-starches.
For a salad, we eschew the obvious som tum (green papaya salad) for something more textured: yum pla duk foo or crispy catfish and green mango salad. The strips of punchy unripe mango are a great contrast to the wafer-like crunch of the fried catfish floss.
Mouthwatering. Aroi mak mak!
It’s the soup that requires some negotiating. The kaeng som looks enticing — this version of the sour and spicy soup is studded with squares of cha om (acacia) omelette — but I’m not a fan of its sharp acidity; good thing for veto power when dining out.
Instead, the consensus choice ends up being the creamy tom kha gai. A close cousin to the ubiquitous tom yum, a tom kha gai shares many of the same ingredients albeit has its heat (it can be just as spicy, mind you!) muted by the addition of coconut milk.
It’s a home style meal, which most of us hanker for at the end of a tiring work day or busy week.
Looking around at other tables, there is a sense of cheer and chumminess. Families abound, tucking into their dinner. Some small kids dance around the pink Vespa near the entrance.
Sun Thai Food is apparently opening up a second outlet in Mahkota Cheras, so folks there will have something to look forward to soon.
As we head out after paying our bill, I realise why the vat of ice and soft drinks looks so familiar. It’s actually a common treat by Thai street vendors. Rather than simply keeping the drinks cold, this is a slushie machine!
The shaking and back-and-forth rotation basically churns out an icy treat. Just pull one bottle out and pour ready-made ice slushie into a cup — and you’re good to go!
Definitely something to try out when we next return. Sodchun!
Sun Thai Food
No. 2A & 6, Jln Radin Bagus 3, Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, KL
Open daily 11am-12 midnight
Phone: 014-606 0609
