THAI HOUSE

Yet again I’m very happy to write about a place that is run by a devoted family, who serves authentic regional cuisine prepared from traditional homemade recipes. The pastes, the herbs like galangal (thai ginger), dark soy and even minute details like the cuts of the vegetables all leave you amazed. The cuts in the Som Tum (Thai Salad) (Rs 120) finely displays the intricate nuances of the cuisine brought to your plate. The mixture of papaya, carrot, tomato and peanuts with a spicy lime dressing is a perfect starter to your meal. One always has the liberty to find out more about Thai recipes in general, maybe online, and of course food stores are well stocked with readymade pastes and sauces so one can prepare and enjoy the very same dishes at home as well. But according to me, this exercise has no accountability - especially about the originality of these recipes. And that’s exactly what the Chicken Satay (Rs 150) proved at Thai House. The real satay has peanuts, chillies and coconut milk blended into a sauce and served with grilled chicken, which is pre marinated with a yellow curry powder. There is actually a lot of prepreparation to be done when it comes to Thai cooking. All the curry pastes, the dips and sauces take plenty of time to prepare. All these pastes are prepared fresh here, as is amply revealed by each morsel you savour! The Tofu Sam Rod (Rs 150) is another example that aids you to spot the difference in the quality of tofu itself. A firm yet succulent tofu is simply fried and topped with fine diced vegetables in a sweet and sour sauce. The Thai House Special Fried Rice (Rs 170) has more than two different sauces tossed with hot basil (locally called tulsi) which adds a unique pungent flavour to the dish. It is not exactly stingingly spicy, but there is a bite to the pungence. Seafood Pad Thai (Rs 180) is basically Thai Flat Noodles tossed in Dark Soy, with the perfect quantity of fish sauce, which is wonderful. You can ask for the extra omelette in which the noodles come nicely wrapped. Not to disturb the flow of authenticity, we chose the Nu Na Na (Rs 110), which is boiled banana in coconut milk over fried ice-cream! It was surprising to have just boiled banana in piping hot coconut milk. Another option you may have, is to sip on the Lam Nam Yai (Rs 60) a brown-colored juice from a dried fruit called longan (similar to litchi), which is extremely sweet to drink. I was so entranced by this true culinary spread that the ambience didn’t deter me at all. It is pretty decent for a twenty-seater restaurant. It’s the food that really lures you in here. If you have an inclination for this cuisine, a visit is a must. No frills, authentic homemade Thai food which is absolutely delicious, or as they say in Thai – Aloy Maak!

THAI HOUSE

Shop No 1 and 2

Raviraj Heritage Society,

Ahead of Pune IT Tech Park,

Bhau Patil Road,

Bopodi,

Pune – 20