Somewhere completely new! Do not worry if you have
not heard of this week’s restaurant. Neither had we till we stumbled across it
in the newly opened Village shopping center, which is on the corner of
Chaiyapruek 1 and Sukhumvit Road (with access from either road).
The restaurant has signs (all in Thai) but the name is translated for you into
English, and is a branch of the Country Place restaurant group from Bangkok. It
is in the center of the shopping center itself, which is rapidly filling up with
tenants, I should add. The main part of the restaurant is a lovely wood sala
beside a couple of the lakes with Thai canoes gently swaying with the breeze, so
it really is a very pleasant place to eat. The coolness inside the sala was
amazing, as the ambient temperature outside was 36 degrees.
The tables are covered in bright red vinyl and the chairs are cane with
cushions, with three person sofas predominating. The tables are also well spaced
apart in the large sala, so you can have a family eating quite easily. Crockery
and cutlery are above average in quality, though the absence of table napkins is
somewhat of a letdown.
The menu is all Thai and very extensive. There are more than 100 choices, with
three pages of Isan style items, three pages of fries and grills, five pages
under the hot and spicy label, plus steamed items and two pages of rice styles.
The vast majority of all items is also around B. 85. This restaurant is
definitely a budget saver. At the back of the menu are drinks, soft or alcoholic
(beers and spirits), with the price of a small Heineken draft only B. 50. German
beers are also available in the iced towers so you can be your own barman, if
that is your wish. Good for family outings.
We ordered a good selection of items, including a hot and spicy Isan number,
some prawn toast and tempura prawns and a stir fried pork with garlic and ginger
(moo tod kratien prik thai). The lack of English names could be a problem, but
the staff will help (or else bring along a native Thai speaker). The dishes all
arrived very quickly plus small bowls of any sauces that night be required.
The stir-fried pork was the first dish I sampled, and it was excellent. Not too
oily and not swamped with garlic either. The prawn toast was very filling and
the tempura prawns plump and firm, and the batter was very good. Not coming from
Isan I gave the ‘hot and spicy’ a wide berth, but Madame was enraptured.
It had been an eye-opening experience. Wonderful surroundings, great food, and
very cheap. The portions are large enough and the cooking is surprisingly quick.
The German beer by the meter is a fun item, even though we stuck to Heineken
draft. The children were catered for with jugs of soft drink, and nothing was of
too much problem to the staff (even to the point of having to mop up some
spilled soft drink).
By the way, the review was not pre-arranged. We just happened to come across the
restaurant and we enjoyed it so much that we are going to take some friends
there at the weekend. If you enjoy Thai food, this restaurant comes highly
recommended.
Thung Prig Thung Khing, cnr Chaiyapruek 1 and Sukhumvit Road, open seven days 10
a.m. until 10 p.m., telephone 081 404 4377 (manager). Secure parking in front of
the Village shopping center.
Grilled Chicken Jambalaya
Even the word Jambalaya conjures up thoughts of exotic
spices, Cajun cooking and aromatic dishes. This week this is a very simple
grill and simmer recipe that is well within the abilities of any home cook!
|
Cooking Method
Preheat grill. Rub chicken with cayenne, salt and pepper. Cut
onions, tomatoes, and green pepper in half. Brush with olive oil.
Grill chicken, onions, tomatoes and green pepper until they have
good grill marks and meat has browned on the outside. It’s not
important that it be completely cooked yet, but the longer
everything stays on the grill the more flavour it will have. Watch
everything carefully and remove items as they get cooked.
In a large pot, melt butter and add garlic. As you remove items from
the grill, chop up and add to pot. Cut the meat into bite size
pieces and dice the vegetables. Add remaining ingredients to pot and
add enough water to cover everything. Simmer until rice is tender. |
Ingredients serves 4
Chicken breasts, skinless boneless 500 gm
Onions medium
2
Green bell pepper 1 large
Pickled onions, cleaned and chopped
10
Tomato sauce 250 mls
Tomatoes 3 large
Uncooked rice 2 cups
Garlic, minced 3 cloves
Butter 2 tbspns
Cayenne pepper 2 tspns
Salt 2 tspns
Pepper 2 tspns
Olive oil Water
