Abu Dhabi: There is no better way to get straight with Thai flavours than chewing into their traditional street snack, Miang Kham.
It was our culinary brief to a fantastic dining experience at Panchaylen, one of the finest Thai restaurants in Abu Dhabi’s Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara.
The mini-parcels that pack a potpourri of flavours can easily be termed the South Asian cousin of India’s after-food addiction, paan.
But Miang Kham is definitely a non-messy version of the after-food digestive paan that adds a kick with its mix of areca nut, lime paste, raisins, cardamom, saffron and even edible silver leaf. Most of India’s paan eaters are still confused on whether to swallow or spit out the bright red extract.
No such confusions here. The waitress demonstrated with practised ease the technique of folding the betel leaf into a cone. A mumble jumble of condiments – dried shrimps, dried chilli, peanuts, shallots, ginger, lime and some grated coconut – make your filling. Dip it in some sweet sauce and what you get is a finger-licking good appetiser.
For starters, we had the quintessential chicken in bamboo skewers, Satay Kai. It is difficult to get it wrong at a Thai eatery. But when the char-grilled chicken arrived at our table along with the customary peanut sauce, it turned out to be an extraordinarily good dish. The grills were soft and succulent and readily came off the skewers.
For soup lovers, there are traditional specialities like Tom Yom. But we opted to skip soup to keep space for the main course. And then there was Yum Tah-Lay, a mixed seafood salad which is a must try.
Our main dishes were as amazing as I had expected them to be – Perfect Phad Thai that came with stir-fried noodles seasoned with prawns, peanuts and just enough spice; chicken stir-fried with cashews, Lamb Massaman with sweet potatoes, baby carrots and fried shallots.
And all of it came with unlimited aromatic jasmine rice or brown rice served in mini cylindrical bamboo baskets.
Great ambience
The intimate setting of the restaurant with ample views to the open kitchen leaves you in no hurry to leave. The décor is ornate with shiny bronze candlesticks and decorative partitions to give more privacy to families and couples. The dark wood panels and black shades balance out the lavish décor elegantly.
We decided to soak in the ambience a little longer by adding a sweet note to our dining experience. The sticky mango rice that came as dessert looked impressive. My companion found the rice just sweet enough for her and tasted great with seasonal fresh mangoes that were fresh and ripe. Not a great fan of the fruit, I opted for Phetchaburi baked-bean cake with homemade coconut ice cream. It was light and suited my sweet cravings.
All in all, Panchaylen is definitely a come-back place for ardent Thai food lovers hungry for a memorable dining experience.
Details:
Meal for two: Dh350–Dh500
Location: Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara, Al Markaziyah, Abu Dhabi
Tel: 02-656 1000
Open Daily 12.30pm to 3.30pm, 7pm to midnight
