Southern Thailand cuisine is known to be spicy and fiery, with flavours more intense than other parts of the country. Fans of such cuisine will be happy to know that there’s now a brand new restaurant in town specialising in Southern Thailand fares.
Pak Tai was recently unveiled in Feast Village, Starhill Gallery and helming it is a Thai native, Chef Guk. This is the sister establishment of the original Pak Tai at The Ritz-Carlton, Koh Samui.
Born and raised in Thailand, Chef Guk’s love for cooking started at the tender age of eight. His culinary education began in the kitchen of his family-owned restaurant, where his mother imparted the fundamentals of preparing and cooking Thai cuisine, thus igniting a passion in him for the culinary arts which took him from The Land of Smiles to the United States in the pursuit of developing and honing his skills.
The affable Chef Guk helms Pak Tai
From Pak Tai’s menu of authentic spicy food and rich and fiery curries, we tasted some of Chef Guk’s signature dishes. Fresh local produce and Thai ingredients specially flown in from Thailand are used to ensure that each dish is an infallible tribute to the chef’s homeland. The fresh herbs and spices used are incredibly aromatic, giving the dishes that “oomph” that’s so necessary in Thai food.
We started our meal at Pak Tai with some of their comforting classics such as Tom Yum Goong and Tom Kati Talay (seafood coconut soup, turmeric and kaffir lime leaves) alongside regional specialities unique only to southern Thailand such as Khua Kling Nua (wok-fried spicy minced beef with turmeric, kaffir lime and herbs); Tod Mun Bai Cha Plu (fried shrimp cakes with wild pepper leaves served with sweet chilli sauce) and Gaeng Kua Sapparod Goong (yellow curry shrimps with pineapple, kaffir lime leaves).
Tom Yum Goong (RM50)
Tom Kati Talay (RM55) – Seafood Coconut Soup, turmeric and kaffir lime leaves
Khua Kling Nua – Wok-Fried Spicy Minced Beef
Fried Shrimp Cakes (RM55) with wild pepper leaves and sweet chilli sauce
Gaeng Kua Sapparod Goong (RM90) – Yellow Curry Shrimps (RM90)
Yum Sa Rai (RM55) – Seaweed Salad with scallops, red onions and lime juice
Som Tam (green papaya salad)
Wok-fried Morning Glory (RM30)
Chef Guk is a wizard in frying fish – his fried fish dishes are pieces of delicious art. Fried to perfection and served with various types of sauces, the fishes are excellent.
Deep-fried Grouper with Sweet Chilli Sauce (RM105)
Crispy Red Snapper with turmeric and herbs (RM125)
Pad Thai
Signature Thai desserts not to be missed are Kanom Jaak (rice pudding and coconut wrapped in a palm leaf and chargrilled to perfection) and the perennial favourite, Khao Niaw Mamuang (mango with sticky rice and coconut cream). My personal favourite is the Bua Loy (steamed silky chewy rice dumplings in coconut milk).
Bua Loy (RM15) steamed rice dumplings in coconut milk
Tub Tim Krob (RM15) water chestnuts, jackfruit, young coconut
Khao Niaw Mamuang (RM15) mango sticky rice coconut cream
Let your palates travel through a plethora of Thai classics at the all-new Pak Tai – where every dish is carefully crafted with warm and genuine Thai hospitality.
For reservations and enquiries, please contact +60-3 2782-3814, email [email protected] or visit feastvillage.com.
PAK TAI
Feast Village Starhill Gallery
JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur
181 Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Open daily for lunch 12.00pm to 3.00pm & dinner from 5.30pm to 10.30pm