IN THAILAND, kopitiams are located in neighbourhoods, serving simple, flavourful light meals that are completely different from what is found in cities.
At Surisit The Thai Kopitiam (www.facebook.com/SurisitThaiKopitiam / 03-7710 0173), Malaysians can get a taste of those same light dishes and snacks, all cooked in authentic Thai style.
Surisit, located in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, is owned by Sita Jayadeva and her nephew Rivon Gill, who are part-Thai. They travel to see their Thai relatives often and grew up on food like this.
“Because of that, our tastebuds are more into Thai food than any other,” said Sita. “And because we know how it’s supposed to be, when you try our food you will see it’s more authentic.”
Explaining why they chose to have a kopitiam, Rivon said: “It has such a friendly atmosphere, located in the outskirts of the city. Usually tourists go to restaurants, but the locals prefer places like this.”
Surisit’s decor also reflects the kopitiam concept. Marble tabletops, wooden chairs, a metal display shelf at the front and even bottles of soft drinks on shelves lining the walls.
The ingredients for the food, like the black soya, and some of the bottled drinks – like the Thai Coca-Cola – are all imported from Thailand.
The menu is non-halal and divided into soup, pork, chicken, beef, fish, egg, vegetable and rice. Each category has three to five dishes only, as the intention is to focus on a few good dishes that they themselves enjoyed.
One of the most popular items is moo thod gapi (RM16.90), consisting of strips of crispy fried pork served with a homemade sauce of shrimp paste with deep-fried lime leaves and chili. The salty bites of the pork go very well with the pleasant heat of the sauce.
And according to Rivon, while each serving is meant for sharing, it is not unusual to have people finishing off an entire plate on their own.
Another favourite is thodman kung (RM12.90) or Thai prawn cake. Delicious patties of thick prawn meat are battered, breaded and lightly-fried, and served with a spicy-sweet sauce. The best part about this dish is that you are really getting a huge bite of prawn with minimal amount of batter.
The pucuk paku yam pla (RM14.90) offers a generous serving of fresh greens.
Steamed rice is available at RM2 per bowl. But most times, people prefer to order fried rice instead.
One of the most satisfying rice dishes is kao klut gapi (RM14.90), also known as fried rice with belacan and sweetened pork.
A really spicy meal with various flavours, the dish is perfect for sharing as everyone can get a bowl of the savoury rice mixed with sweet bits of pork slices.
Of course, there is the ubiquitous tom yam thalay (RM29.90), or seafood tom yam. Surisit also serves tom yam with chicken (tom yam kai) and with prawns (tom yam kung).
The thick and spicy tom yam soup is a burst of flavours, and a veritable treasure trove of fish slices, prawns, squid and other tasty morsels.
Besides the a la carte dishes, Surisit also features a set lunch of the month, comprising a dish and an imported Thai bottled drink for just RM13.90.
Sita and Rivon have plans to open another Thai kopitiam soon, this time a halal outlet.
While the prices at Surisit might be a little higher than what you would normally pay at a local kopitiam, the tasty food and big portions more than make up for it.
What's more, Surisit offers food lovers authentic Thai snack food right here in Kuala Lumpur.
No comments:
Post a Comment