SuperThai Restaurannt @ Damansara Uptown

Terrific Thai Flavours

Damansara Uptown has always been a hotspot filled with lots of restaurants and businesses all tightly packed in the Square. There are so many options when it comes to food and the list of cafes, restaurants, fast food and kopitiams are quite mind boggling. Here's one more we found recently that is worthy of a visit if you're looking for affordable Thai food in the area.

Brought to us by the team behind The Good Guys, SuperThai Restaurant is a hidden gem that serves rustic and humble Thai cuisine at pocket-friendly value. Despite its operation for a year, the restaurant remains low key, operating on the 1st floor, right above Capitol Nasi Dagang on the same row of shop lot as The Good Guys.

The restaurant is designed with minimalist industrial concept. SuperThai chose to focus on doing what they do best, serving rustic and flavourful Thai dishes in their photo-filled menu. One can opt for regular a la carte menu or go for the lunch specials as well as the single portion dishes.

Tuck into porky SuperThai signatures like Flame Grilled Pork Neck (RM28) or Pork Knuckle in Sweet & Sour Sauce (RM55). It’s always a plus point for me when swine shows up on a menu. Pork neck, well marinated and chargrilled till smoking and tender, the Flame Grilled Pork Neck is also given a boost of spicy flavours with a side of piquant heat and garlic notes in the green chili sauce.

The Pork Knuckle in Sweet & Sour Sauce goes through a tedious process of marinating, boiling and deep frying before its cut up and drenched in a sweet and sour sauce with some bell peppers and onions. Gelatinous bits with tender meat is very appetizing with fluffy steamed rice. There is a lovely balance of sweetness with sourness that tantalizes the palate to keep enjoying this porky dish.

It’s literally never a Thai meal without a Tom Yum soup! The version of Tom Yum Seafood (RM27) is rustic and liberal with heat and tangy flavours, almost to the extent of raw flavours. There’s generous amount of prawn and squid in the soup as well. This soup hit all the right spot in terms of flavours and richness, concluding a satisfactory note in a Thai meal.

The Basil Leaf Minced Meat (RM18) was a personal favorite of mine. I enjoyed the sheer simplicity of minced meat sautéed in an unctuous soy sauce and fish sauce based sauce perfumed with basil leaves. It’s also garlicky and has a subtle heat that teases my palate with much addictiveness. Give me this dish alone with steamed rice and I would be thoroughly satiated as a meal.

The Stuffed Squid (RM29) came highly recommended. One of the most ordered item on the menu, the dish is best eaten hot. Two whole squids, tentacles and body, stuffed with juicy minced meat filling topped with green coriander, garlic and chili sauce as well as copious fresh garlic slices are steamed and served with plenty of tasty broth. The robust flavours and well-balanced Thai flavours of savory, sweet, spicy and sourness made the dish appetizing and hearty.

Somehow the Thai always know how to make a scrumptious Crispy Omelette (RM12). The version here is near perfection with fluffy omelette that has a crispy edge. Super yum for diners of all ages…

The next dish of Steamed Fish with Lime Sauce (RM48) is another classic one that appears in Thai restaurants here. The fish is beautifully steamed in the piquant broth. The broth is what makes this dish and it was certainly flavourful with lots of garlic, fresh herbs, lime juice and chilies. One has the option of Patin fish or seabass so check with the server on the availability of the fish for this dish.

The Thai Steamed Prawns with Glass Noodles (RM28) was decent with prawns on a bed of sautéed chewy glass noodles. It is nicely redolent of sesame oil fragrance with garlicky aroma. A good dish though I have had better ones elsewhere.

I do like the twist on the Tom Yum Kai Lan (RM15) but I would have loved the tom yum flavours to stand out a bit more since it reads tom yum. Nevertheless, the vegetable dish is well cooked and tasty.

Moving on to single dishes, diners should really enjoy SuperThai’s single dishes such as the classic Pineapple Fried Rice (RM18). We certainly like the addition of luncheon meat in this rice dish studded with chicken, pineapples, raisins and peanuts.

I really enjoyed the value-for-money Special Nasi SuperThai Set (RM20 + a free drink). It’s a full platter of rice with various dishes that is utterly pleasing, especially when one is dining solo. One gets Tom Yum Soup, Green Curry Chicken, Salt & Pepper Squid, Mango Salad, Crispy Omelette, BBQ Pork Belly and special Seafood Sauce. Super satisfying set meal that is a little mini buffet on its own!

Another dish that is equally drool worthy is the Thai Pork Leg Rice (RM17). The chopped braised pork leg is moreish with lean meat as well as gelatinous tasty bits and skin. The flavours are sublime with hints of spiced soy sauce that goes well with the braised bean curd, soy sauce egg, pickled mustard, soup and pungent chili sauce.

All the set or single portion meals are available all day long. Other ones to try includes Thai Beef Noodles (RM15), BBQ Pork Neck Rice (RM14), Mince Pork Basil Noodle (RM11), Phad Thai (RM13), Tom Yum Petai Rice (RM14) and more. These also comes with a drink.

Lemon grass (RM3) to wash down all the spicy and robust flavours of Thai cuisine.

There may not be many choices of desserts at SuperThai but the ones available is sufficiently satisfying for me. The house made Coconut Ice Cream (RM10) is heavenly on the palate. Lusciously creamy and topped with tapioca coated water chestnuts, peanuts and more, this dessert is rich and satisfying.

We also enjoyed the twist of the classic Mango Sticky Rice (RM10). Usually served warm but I admit to really liking this version of creamy coconut laced sticky rice with fresh sweet mango served with coconut ice cream.

Reason to visit SuperThai? Pocket-friendly Thai dishes with lots of flavours!

SUPERTHAI RESTAURANT

29, Jalan SS 21/1a,

Damansara Utama,

47400 Petaling Jaya

Tel: 60 3-7710 5888

Facebook: www.facebook.com/superthairestaurant/

Business Hours:

Lunch          12.00pm to 2.30pm

Dinner         6.00pm to 10.00pm

Tigerlily Thai Restaurant @ DC Mall, Damansara

Affordable Thai Delights!

New in the latest mall in Pusat Bandar Damansara, Tigerlily Thai Restaurant hopes to serve up pocket-friendly Thai dishes to the area’s office crowd as well as shoppers. Located in Damansara City Mall (DC Mall), the affordable Thai restaurant serves plenty of classic Thai dishes with bold flavours.

As soon as one steps into Tigerlily, you’ll be greeted with lots of comfort through its bright and pastel décor. The restaurant is modern and easy on the eye. Cleverly sectioned off to offer more privacy, there’s really a relaxing and casual vibe running through the whole restaurant.

Even the menu is pretty and colorful!

The pictures of the dishes in the menu makes you want to order every dish…

Enjoy the spicy meal with coolers like Pandan Kasturi (RM7.90) and Thai Iced Tea with Gula Melaka (RM6.90).

We started off with some appetizers and first one up was Firecracker Prawns (RM6.90). Small bites of crunchy wanton skin wrapped prawn served with the classic sweet Thai chili sauce makes good snacking.

The Lemongrass Satay (RM4.90 – 2 sticks | RM9.90 – 5 sticks) was chockful of flavours. Beautifully aromatized with that citrusy lemongrass note, the chicken skewers is also served with peanut sauce on the side though I didn’t think it needed it. It was moreish and goes well with rice too.

The Steamed Otak Otak (RM5.90 per cup) was decent, served individually for easy ordering as well as savoring.

The bold and punchy flavours of the Thai Basil Minced Chicken (RM8.90) goes so well with steamed rice. Savory with a lovely aromatic note of basil, the dish is wonderfully familiar on the palate and polishing this up is easy.

Mango Salad (RM7.90) is a must when enjoying Thai food. This version is tangy, savory and spicy with lots of crunchy textures from onions, mango and nuts.

For curry options, both Thai Green Curry Prawn (RM26.90) and Red Curry Chicken (RM15.90) fair yumminess in flavours. The green curry is thick, creamy and redolent of aromatic and flavourful spices. Generous with prawns too for that price. The red curry had a good balance of flavours from the spices and coconut cream. It was also chockful of tender chicken thigh pieces and vegetables that made the dish a hearty and well-balance dish.

Perhaps the only dish that was not in my favor was the BBQ Sotong (RM12.90). The squid was a tad chewy, otherwise flavours are good.

The Crispy Sotong (RM18.90) fared better in my books that the bbq one. This one was cooked well and had tender thick squid pieces encased in crispy batter served with a piquant chili sauce dip.

The Muay Thai Fried Fish (RM56.90) is served with two very different chili sauces. The fish is beautifully fried till crispy with a tender flesh. The two spicy sauces varies in flavours. One is more tangy and garlicky with lots of heat despite its non-fiery outlook while the other sauce is thick, fiery and moreish. It’s a different dish from the more classic lemon steamed fish but this one is equally yummy.

One can never enjoy Thai food without the quintessential Tom Yam Seafood Soup (RM26.90). The version here is red tom yum with a creamy note. Fiery hot, the sour and robust soup has aromatic lemongrass, herbs and if filled with chockful of prawns, squid, mushrooms and other aromatics. I enjoyed the fieriness of the soup very much.

For vegetables, we had the Four Angle Beans with Peanuts (RM9.90) and Spicy Eggplant with Dried Shrimp (RM14.70). Crunchy and flavourful, the four angle beans is tasty. Cooked till super soft, the eggplant has absorbed all the rich and piquant dried shrimp sambal. It’s very moreish with rice.

Tigerlily also serves noodles and we picked the classic Pad Thai (RM9.90). Presented in egg net, the stir fried rice noodles passed with scrumptious flying colors. With hints of sweetness and good savory balance, one can adjust the heat in the dish by adding as much or as little chili flakes as you want. Mix in the toasted crushed peanuts and squeeze in the lime to perk up the flavours.

There is quite a lovely list of desserts at Tigerlily. For some refreshing desserts, we opted for Tub Tim Crob (RM7). Love the presentation as well as the flavours. Lots of fine shaved ice on sweet and salty coconut milk topped with lots of red rubies of water chestnut covered in tapioca and jackfruit.

The Cendol (RM4.90) was not too bad too. The usual suspects of ice with coconut milk, slivers of green cendol, plump and soft red beans and a side of add-on-your-own Gula Melaka syrup.

We enjoyed the Ice Kacang (RM11.90) with its generous helpings of shaved ice topped with fruits, nuts, bean, jelly, syrup and more.

We also had the Mango Sticky Rice (RM9.90). I like how Tigerlily serves their dessert with sides of sauce and syrup. That way one can adjust the flavours to suit their own. The sticky rice is soft with chunks of sweet ripe mango while the side salty coconut cream added richness to the dessert.

Last but not least, we were recommended their signature which is Banana Fritters with Ice Cream (RM12.90). Banana fried with a very crispy batter and served with vanilla ice cream was good but I still prefer the Tub Tim Crob and Ice Kacang.

TIGERLILY THAI RESTAURANT

Lot LG18, Lower Ground Floor, DC Mall,

Jalan Damanlela,

Pusat Bandar Damansara,

50490 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2011 2912

Website: www.tigerlily.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pg/tigerlilythairestaurant

Business Hours:

Daily 8am to 9pm