Being a fan of Thai cuisine, I wasn’t lucky enough to try all the limited options our city had to offer in the name of Thai food. So I guess it was natural for me to be excited when Absolute Thai opened it’s doors to public in mid 2015. Post their inception I’ve been there twice and ironically both has been treats by my dear foodie buddies. This review, hence, will be based on my two experiences. Given below is my take on Absolute Thai, Teynampet.
Absolute Thai is located in Cenotaph Road, right before the entrance of the Kottupuram bridge if coming from Teynampet signal end and its the right turn below the bridge and past Ambrosia if coming from Chamiers road. They have valet parking service and they’re a bunch of friendly folks. Absolute Thai shares the building with two other eateries which are yet to open. A traditionally dressed woman welcomed us in and showed us our table. Ambience is very simple and serene. Bright orange walls and dark wood flooring with hanging lights provide a contrast set up which is pretty soothing to the eyes.
On our first visit, it was just the two of us and since my friend was a veggie, I went with her suggestions and ordered vegetarian apart from a starter. Our order included Satay Gai (Chicken Satay), Pad Thai Phak (Veg Stir Fry) and Tohu Phad Bai Gapraow (Stir Fried Tofu). I had the Chicken Satay to myself which was excellent. The peanut Satay sauce went really well with chicken strips and it was cooked to perfection. Veg Stir Fry in a tangy sauce was served with a generous sprinkle of crushed peanuts, chilli flakes and sugar. It was out of this world and we both loved it. Stir Fried Tofu was more of a daring experiment as I’ve never been happy with the way Tofu has been served in standalone restaurants in our city. Fortunately what we got was just brilliant and they’ve nailed the crispy outer layer which is pretty hard. After taxes our bill’s net amount was Rs. 1288.
During our second visit, it was a bigger group, six of us to be precise. Half of us were non veggies while the rest were veggies so as an omnivore, I got to try a number of dishes. For soups we ordered Tom Kha Phak (Coconut based veg soup) and Tom Yum Palay (Hot and Spicy Seafood Soup). The veg variant was very creamy which gave a soothing feel. But my vote is with the seafood one which was filled with chunks of seafood and was a tad spicier than the veg one. Starters were Khoa Pod Tod Namprikpow, Tohu Bai Toey, Satay Gai and Goong Pao. Khoa Pod Tod Namprikpow is chilli baby corn in rice tartlets. They were crunchy and packed with flavours. I loved it. Tohu Bai Toey is Tofu chunks wrapped in Pandan leaves. The pine tree leaves were beautifully wrapped and packed with tofu in it making it a dish that would easily win a beauty contest. But taste wise it was a disappointing dish as there was almost no flavour in the tofu. Satay Gai is Chicken Satay which I loved during my previous visit. It was the same this time as well and my friends liked it too. Goong Pao is prawns wrapped in banana leaves and grilled. Though it did get a bit clumsy to remove the head and tail of the prawns ourselves, the dish tasted delicious. IMHO this was the star starter. Our mains consisted of Khao Phat Bai Gaprou Phak, Khao Nung, Kaeng Kiew Wan Phak, Kaeng Ped Goong and Lad Na Gai. Khao Phat Bai Gaprou Phak is Thai Basil flavoured Spicy Veg Fried Rice which was the mains for veggies. They gave a thumbs up for this dish. Steamed rice is called as Khao Nung. Kaeng Kiew Wan Phak is the famous Thai dish, Thai Green Curry (Veg). The spiciness made it go really well with the steamed rice. Kaeng Ped Goong is yet another dish synonymous to Thai cuisine, Thai Red Curry (Prawns). This was yet another dish that tasted perfect with rice. Lad Na Gai is a Thai Style Gravy Noodle with Chicken. It was a bit bland but tasted pretty good. We tried just one dessert which was Guray Tod. It’s deep fried Banana Fritters. Considering how famous bananas are in South East Asia, it wasn’t surprising to find this dessert which reminded me of a couple of Indian variations. Served with a scoop of ice cream, it was a welcoming delight post our session with the spicy curries. This time, the bill amount was Rs. 5242.
Though it was a bit hard to get their attention, those who served us were very friendly and courteous, especially the person whom I assume is the manager, who was very patient in helping us by explaining the dishes. Some items are perfectly priced such as the prawn dishes while some sound a bit too expensive such as a portion of steamed rice that’s almost Rs. 150. When compared, my first experience was better by a large margin and based on that I’d give Absolute Thai a 4.5 and for the recent visit I’d rate them as 3.5. Hence, as an average, I think my rating of 4.0 is apt from my POV. This place is definitely a must try for all those who are accustomed to authentic Thai food and also for those who are bored of the usual Italian and Conti cuisines and want to try something new.
RATINGS BREAK UP:-
Location:- 4.5/5
Parking:- 5/5
Reception:- 5/5
Food:- 4/5
Customer Service:- 4/5
Ambience:- 3.5/5
Price:- 3.5/5
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