Vege-Thai-rian fare
For Thai vegetarian flavours, head over to the Kon Rak Pak in Petaling Jaya, writes Ewe Paik Leong
The spicing of stir-fried pucuk paku was a little
tame. vegetarians hang from one wall. I am surprised to see Abraham Lincoln’s photo here as he was never a vegetarian.
VEGGIE ATTACK
Stir-fried Pucuk Paku (wild fern shoots) is brought to my table first. They don’t look too spicy. I try a few strands of the pucuk paku which delivers hints of chilli, shallots and garlic but the dish lacks depth and flavour.
Possibly this is due to the absence of dried shrimp or too little belacan (shrimp paste). The stems are hard as well.
Next, Tomyam Goong arrives, brimming with the aroma of lemongrass and kafir lime. A spoonful of the soup smothers my taste-buds with cheek-flushing chilli heat and sharp sour flavour which are utterly invigorating.
Deep-fried whole fish scores on spicing but falters on the faux fish.
The mock prawns and faux squids have spring and bite but they don’t mimic the real stuff too closely. Were it not for this factor, this soup could have been a bowl of vim and vigour.
Pla Tod Rad Nam Yum is a deep-fried mock fish set floating in reddish tangy sauce and accessorised with strips of mango. The buzzy spicing is vivid with pungency and it has glorious depth of flavour. However, the mock fish has a weird taste.
I’ve eaten faux fish at several other vegetarian restaurants before and a few mimic the real stuff so closely that my cat, Kim, could be fooled into eating them. I don’t think the mock fish here is made in-house so changing its supplier for more palatable stuff will make this dish fly, metaphorically speaking of course
SWEET END
The best part of the meal is the sweet mango sticky rice, which is fortified with chia seeds and made funky with roasted mung seeds. The sweetness of the mango pieces is mellowed by the thick, rich coconut cream sauce.
Eating all ingredients together produces a swirl of rich-sweet-nutty flavours in my mouth.
Meal over, my food is sluiced down with the “pandan cooler” which does what it says on the menu: refresh and cool. Sweet mango sticky rice sends a happy shudder up my spine.