Beyond Thai curry

Thai food has been an enigma of some sort. In terms of taste and flavour it must compete with the best of Indian cuisine.

At the same time, the subtle use of spices, herbs such as holy basil, lemongrass and the abundant reliance on chillies and coconut, has made a dish like, say, Thai curry a favourite in India.

In terms of presentation, it is one of the world’s most evolved cuisines. One is astonished at the intricacy and artistry that is involved in the way fruits are cut and dishes decorated. In this sense it would not be out of place to compare it with the Japanese sense of design and style.

According to David Thompson in the book Thai Food, “Thai food has three levels. First, the taste of the ingredients used; second, the texture of those ingredients; third, the seasoning. The complex and vibrant qualities of Thai cooking are based on the interplay of these components.”

However, other than the obsession with Red/Green curry or the Pad Thai noodles, people seem unaware of the variety and sophistication of the cuisine.

Chef Anand Solomon has sought to redress these issues in his new menu at the Thai Pavilion with some incredibly inventive dishes from the Royal Kitchens —one of his signature dishes being the delightful fois gras. But with this exception there was little else.

However, at the Intercontinental Marine Drive, there is a new Thai restaurant, Koh, set up by Ian Kittichai who has had a presence in New York and is recognised as pushing the limits of the cuisine bringing in Asian and European influences to create something unique.

In deference to the vegetarian interest, he has created a number of fascinating vegetarian dishes, omitting fish sauce and non vegetarian stocks.

There were some exquisite appetisers and salads including pak-choi wrapped asian mushrooms. They were steamed and had a red pepper coconut glaze. The ribbon salad which had Japanese daikon and a toasted sesame ginger dressing was not so satisfactory.

I loved the fish cakes with a rice crust and a yummy creamy spicy sauce. The organic chiang mai vegetable essence was a thin soup with some interesting flavours including coriander, chilli oil, and roasted sticky rice dust.

The koh crab bisque was a little heavy for my liking.

For the main course the stellar dish was the chillean seabass with the salted yellow bean glaze. There was also an Alaskan black cod slow cooked with an interesting broth. For the vegetarians, the aubergine was done in a style similar to the chillean seabass and is a great dish.

The Thai curries were great as was the Pad Thai noodles but I felt we had gone beyond these old favourites and entered a new world of creative and ingenious cooking by a great chef.

Koh is not a cheap restaurant, but unlike other Thai restaurant it imports practically everything. Hence the exotic menu. It is worth it.