Golden Orchid Oriental Thai Cuisine @ Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya

There’s been quite a buzz in the quieter side of Damansara Jaya recently with the opening of Golden Orchid Restaurant. Barely a month old, the restaurant serves Thai cuisine with some Chinese and Malay twists.

To start off our meal with a real kick, we had the Seafood Tomyum, which as you can see, was served piping hot.  Priced at RM25 for a small portion, the tomyum had all the right flavours balanced out very well.  Yes, I’d say there’s a shiok factor to the soup and it didn’t disappoint.  If your dining group is bigger, opt for the bigger portion at RM45.

The GO Special BBQ Combo Platter at RM68 came with grilled prawns, squids and lamb.  No complaints here as the squids and prawns were fresh and the lamb was well marinated and tender.  I love the tangy garlic chilli dip that was accompanied the grilled stuff.

The Buttermilk Prawns (RM38) was more Chinese than Thai, I thought.  It’s a “soupier” version of the popular butter prawns.  The gravy is rich and creamy with the tantalising flavours of curry leaves and chilli padi… I couldn’t stop spooning lots of it over my white rice.

The Kembong Fish Platter (RM18), although listed under “Appetizers” would fare well as a good accompaniment to white rice.  It’s more Malay-influenced… typical fried fish served with a sambal (in this case, it’s called “Nam Prik” sauce) and some lightly blanched long beans, 4-angled beans, ladies fingers, fried brinjals and cucumber.

The GO Special Fried Chicken (RM18) is a must-order for fried chicken lovers.  Boneless pieces of chicken marinated in their special concoction and fried to a delicious crisp… absolutely addictive.  Although a Thai chilli dip was served with it, I didn’t bother to taint the excellent flavours of the chicken with the dip.

Our vegetables dish was Paku Pakis (RM13) stir-fried with sambal belacan.  The crunchy slightly-slimy stalks were tender… I’m glad to note that only the young shoots of the ferns were used.  Nothing is more unpleasant than old fibrous chewy stalks and this is something I always look out for whenever I order Paku Pakis.

We had the Thai Style Steamed Fish (RM38 for Small and RM58 for Big) served piping hot on a typical metal fish-shaped plate over charcoals.  The siakap was very fresh but it fell short in terms of flavours.  The gravy was rather bland and diluted as obviously there was not enough lime or chillies in it.

The Fried Fish with Keng Som (same price as the steamed fish) fared much better.  Also a siakap, it has been deep-fried before being submerged in a spicy sauce and topped with generous amounts of long beans, tomatoes and kangkong.  Quite a unique touch, the kangkong leaves.

One of the best omelettes I’ve had is their Thai Omelette (RM15).  It’s rather plain looking but really, the look doesn’t do it any justice at all.  The omelette turned out to be light and fluffy in texture and very tasty… a testament of the chef’s skills!

The Thai Fishcakes (RM14) on the other hand, were just average.  I’ve tasted better ones.

We tried two of their desserts: Red Rubies and Candied Cassava (both at RM4.80).  Nothing outstanding, they do provide an adequately sweet ending to the meal.

Golden Orchid Restaurant is a good place to have a decent Thai meal and if you’re concerned about too much spiciness, there are dishes which are milder and more “oriental” in flavours.  Service is friendly and courteous; parking is easy as the location is away from the crowded popular watering holes area of Damansara Jaya.

Golden Orchid Restaurant
12-14 Jalan SS22/25
Damansara Jaya
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 7722-2228