The restaurant front |
Bangkok House prides itself on serving authentic Thai cuisine
and this means spicy dishes with a fiery kick. The family-run Muslim Thai
restaurant was founded by a Malaysian couple back in 2003. It has 3 branches in
the Klang Valley: Sunway Giza Mall, One Mont Kiara and the third one at 3 Two
Square PJ was where we had our lunch one sunny Saturday afternoon.
The restaurant is nestled within a row of shop-houses with
plenty of street and basement parking available. However, finding a convenient
spot during lunch hour on a week day may be a bit of a challenge since most of
the restaurants in this area are highly popular with the office crowd.
Ample parking outside |
The interior of the restaurant was bright and sparkly clean
and the service welcoming and friendly. When we couldn’t decide which table to
occupy, the waiters smilingly and patiently let us take our time before ushering
us to our chosen table in warm Thai hospitality.
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As soon as we were seated and given the menu, I noticed the menu
cover seemed shabby and out of place compared to the cool ambiance of the restaurant. However, don’t be too quick to judge a menu by its cover. Bangkok House offers an
extensive range of popular Thai favorites as well as several signature dishes. There
is also a selection of noodles to choose from which includes the classic Pad
Thai. Each item on the menu had a Thai name accompanied by an English
description which made ordering our food a pretty easy task.
The menu - discover the delights inside |
The ala-carte dishes which consisted mainly of beef, lamb,
poultry, seafood and vegetables, can be ordered in 3 different portions - Small (2-4 persons),
Medium (4-6 persons) and Large (6-8 persons), at varying prices. For our group of 4, we selected 4
dishes to be eaten with white rice (RM2.50 per serving). Although our orders took
some time to arrive, it was well worth the wait.
Seafood Tom Yam
Spicy & sour lemongrass soup with roasted chili
paste and spices
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If
there’s one dish that I can eat every day, it would have to be tom yam. The
seafood tom yam we had at Bangkok House was absolutely tasty. It arrived piping
hot at our table in a silver pot and was served in individual bowls. The waiter
was thoughtful enough to ensure that each bowl received an adequate share of fresh
prawns, squid, mushroom and crab.
The
soup was rich, aromatic and flavorful with just the right hint of lemongrass
and galangal. Every mouthful was a wonderful mix of tastes and textures, I
thought I had died and gone to tom yam heaven. The spicy and citrusy soup was good
enough to be enjoyed on its own but if you find it too fiery for your taste-buds,
tone down the heat by eating it with rice and ensure plenty of water is on standby.
Kai Hor Baiteay
Pandan Chicken
Marinated fried chicken wrapped in pandan leaves
(Small – RM20.00++)
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Bangkok House’s version of the Pandan Chicken simply bowled
me over. The chicken pieces were
well-marinated and the pandan leaves lent a subtle fragrance to the tender and
juicy fried chicken inside. I could have eaten a whole platter of this, with or
without the chili dip.
Nomai Farang Pad Kung
Stir-fried Asparagus with Prawns
(Small – RM18.00++)
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We ordered this dish because asparagus is one of our favorite
vegetables. The asparagus, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and plump prawns were
sautéed together in the mildly sweet sauce just until they were slightly tender
but not over-cooked. A simple yet delicious combination.
Hor-Mok
Thai Steamed Otak-Otak
Authentic Thai steamed fish with spices and coconut
milk
(Small – RM18.00++)
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The otak-otak served at Bangkok House was absolutely delicious.
The fish custard was moist, perfectly steamed and flavored with just the right
amount of herbs and spices. Every bite was a sheer delight and we could have
easily ordered another plateful but decided otherwise to save some room for
dessert.
A Thai meal is only complete with some cooling sweets to
soothe the palate after the scorching heat, so I was looking forward to the 2
desserts we ordered.
Thab Thim Krob
Red Ruby (RM7.00++)
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Lod Chong
Thai Cendol served with authentic Thai coconut milk (RM6.00++)
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Pink jelly - complimentary |
Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed when our desserts
arrived. Firstly, the servings were way too small and did not do justice to the
steep prices. Secondly, they did not look anything like their pictures in the
menu. For both desserts, there was just a lot of shaved ice and very little of everything
else. As you can see, the jack-fruit slices in the red ruby dessert were
pitiful. The complimentary pink jelly that was served after we had finished our
desserts did not help to lessen our disappointment (even though it was a nice gesture). What a frustrating ending
to an otherwise delicious and satisfying Thai meal!
Meal for 4 (RM142.10) |
We paid RM142.10 for our lunch, inclusive of 4 glasses of warm water at RM0.80 each. If you are a Thai food fanatic with no qualms about forking out a bit extra in return for authentic and scrumptious Thai cuisine, then head over to Bangkok House. Rest assured you will not be disappointed. Just don't set your hopes high for the desserts though.
My Overall Verdict:
Taste: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Presentation: 6/10
Value for Money: 7/10
Address and contact details:
Restoran Bangkok House
Lot C-13-01, 3 Two Square,
Jalan 19/1, Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-7954 9872
‘Till we meet again,
Lotsa Luv