Bangkok Beat Bistro
December 20, 2003
Time for our once-every-three-months trip to a furnace of fiery Thai fare.
Launched this month at Subang's Empire Shopping Gallery, Bangkok Beat Bistro is the sister outlet of the Bangkok Jam restaurants in Singapore, Taipei and Taichung. There's probably something for everyone on the menu of sixty-strong recipes here; we're glad the pomelo salad with shrimp (RM18.90+) made the cut.
Sink-your-teeth-into-it crab meat & chew-like-a-carnivore fish maw, sunk in savory-starchy soup (RM15.90+). Who needs shark's fin broth, right?
Mee krob (RM16+). These crispy fried noodles represent the reality of Bangkok Street Bistro; purists will insist they've tasted better in the City of Angels, & they'd be right. But nevertheless, what's served here is food that's still enjoyable, that's still worth sharing, still worth paying for.
For RM20+, this Massaman lamb shank curry is a bargain, featuring genuinely tender meat in generously poured gravy. The more well-known Massaman beef version is also available.
On the other hand, RM15+ for this olive fried rice should have bought us something somewhat better. But in the end, we needed grains to soak up the curries.
Soft-shell crab with yellow curry (RM20+). Note: even on a weeknight, Bangkok Beat Bistro can be packed. So expect to line up awhile or come back later; when we hit this place at 9pm, the crowd had eased & most of our dishes landed within 15 minutes of ordering.
Grilled stingray with Thai sambal (RM25+). Might pair well with sparkling wine, but since Bangkok Beat Bistro is shooting for halal certification, it's best not to bring in booze.
Surprise! We hardly broke a sweat throughout this meal. Hurrah for the judicious use of spices!
Bangkok Beat Bistro,
LG32, Empire Shopping Gallery, Subang Jaya.
Tel: 03- 5637-8488