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2014-09-13
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Ayuthaiya greeted us with a soothing and chilled out atmosphere that, while still being able to follow the action of Hollywood Road, allowed us to forget the hectic morning in the scorching streets of Hong Kong. The friendly waiter immediately presented us with a comprehensive menu and we opted for the full Thai buffet experience including free flow of wines and cocktails. The cocktails arrived soon after we ordered. I went for the "Mango & Sticky Rice Martini" and my friend opted for a refreshi
My Martini didn't at all look like the sort of drink I'd normally order, but oh... I what a delight! Such a delicious combination of mango, coconut and alcohol - it instantly brought back all that's good about vacations on a tropical island. It's like "Holiday in a Glass" and I recommend it to all of those who - like myself - wish to be transported into a hammock on the beach right now.
Once we'd sampled the drinks we immediately went to the buffet to systematically try all there is and we were in for quite a treat! I started with the Tom Yum hot and sour soup. This was a "vegetarian" option, which made quite a nice change as there was no overcooked shrimp floating in it like you usually see at Thai buffets. The heat was "moderated" enough to be easy fare for anyone who likes a bit of spice but not too much. (After all, there are not many people who can take the heat of a Tom Yum made in Thailand, let's face it...) What was great about this soup was that you didn't have to "pick" at it. There were no inedible bits floating in it, just yummy, delicious straw mushrooms, tiny vegetable cubes like broccoli etc., so you could really enjoy it without having to worry about biting on a piece of hard galangal. This made the soup so much easier to eat for all those who don't know "what's what" in a Tom Yum and it prevented half of the soup going back into the kitchen. I loved the fact that even though there was no "Kung" (prawn) in it, the soup still had all the essential characteristics and notes of a traditional Tom Yum that we've come to love so dearly.
Moving on to the next dish: the Som Tum (papaya salad). Again, it was authentic in flavour but moderated in chili, so definitely something you could tuck into without the worry of biting on something too hot to handle.
One of our absolute favourites was the Pomelo Salad. Now that was absolutely blissful... A wonderful medley of textures and flavours with a wonderful chrunch to it. We went back for seconds... Caution: this dish is highly addictive!
The rice sheet rolls were also extremely yummy and we needed to have seconds of these, too. Very fresh and held on porcelain spoons to make it an easy to consume mess-free mouthful of glorious Thai flavours with a creamy curry gravy to die for.
The fried spring rolls also came cut into bite-size portions on a spoon, a good thing because I easily overeat on these and they are naughty as they're deep fried. Very crisp on the outside and with a good solid filling. We also tried the shrimp meat baked in a coating of crumbs around a stick of lemongrass and these were good, too, but not overly exciting.The satays deserve a mention, too. We tried all of them: pork, beef and chicken, but couldn't decide which one we liked best (even though we went back for more, just to "decide"...). Each was nice in its own right. The beef was tender and not overcooked. The pork was also moist and the chicken also was not too dry but easily came off the skewer (a quality that is often underrated in my point of view).
My all time favourite snack, the betel leaf stuffed with goodies such as shallot, chili, garlic, pomelo, dry shrimp, lime, toasted coconut among others lightly doused with a tangy sweet sauce was again an absolute winner.
While it may be a challenge to some (not me!) to eat it the way it is meant to be eaten (i.e. wrap it all in the leaf and pop it in your mouth in one big scoop), the experience of this unique taste explosion is not to be missed! It's all that's good about Thai flavours all wrapped up into one mouthful - what could be more wonderful than that?For our main courses we ordered the green curry with chicken and the "Thai Curry Eggs Benedict". Now, while I knew the green curry would be just amazing (I have dined here before and know that their curries are lovely), the eggs were something I was very curious about. The idea of "Curry Benedict" didn't ring right, but my curiosity demanded that I try it for exactly that reason. (All too often have I discovered something delightfully new but just "trying" something that was a bit out of the box....) Anyway, the eggs didn't come on a muffin as I had expected for whatever reason, but they came on a bed of Thai fried rice. The rice was very delicious, I must say and the eggs while - in my humble opinion overcooked - were pretty good too. But the best was the lush thick curry sauce that topped the eggs. I think they should rename the dish so as not to confuse the customer and to manage their expectations. Anyone expecting "Eggs Benedict" would've been disappointed as the eggs were not poached but fried. And the disappointment might distract from the fact that this dish was simply yummy!
The Thai green curry (served with fluffy steamed Thai rice) tasted mild and creamy and quite authentic (and again, not too much chilli - but you can ask for some fresh "Prik Nam Phla" if you're into chili). As with the Tom Yum, the curry was a very "easy to eat" meal with no "inedibles", meaning that the sauce was perfectly blended and probably strained and thus not only eye-pleasing but also attractive to all those many fickle eaters who get put off by bits of lemongrass or lime leaf.We also sampled the Thai wine with the main courses, my friend had the white wine and I had the red wine. Now these wines were a true surprise. And while these wines are of course not at all to be compared with big old world wines we're used to drinking, they have a unique charm all of their own and are refreshingly light and drinkable without being overpowering, which actually makes them go well with the Thai cuisine (something I cannot usually say for other wines).
Still, I was besotted with the Mango & Sticky Rice Martini and while having more refills than I dare admit here, I also tried all the dessert at the buffet.The fresh fruit was - of course - fresh and lovely but it was the steamed pumpkin custard that caught my eye. Real comfort food: delicious pumpkin flesh, soft enough to eat but without being mushy, filled w
ith creamy custard that had just the right texture (not hard or jellylike, but just "right").
My favourite dessert were these little square cups of banana leaf filled with a coconut mango dessert that - while I'm not sure what it was called - was the perfect finish to a perfect brunch.
My friend and I will be back for sure, there's no doubt about it.Thanks again for putting
up with my many refill requests - I'm in love with your cocktails!
题外话/补充资料：
True Thai flavours but in a somewhat advanced and very civilized presentation.
All of the taste but none of the hassle of picking out chilies or inedible bits.
(以上食记乃用户个人意见 , 并不代表OpenRice之观点。)
张贴
