Thai Pavilion

Rest : Thai Pavilion
Loc : Vivanta Taj President, Cuffe Parade
Meal : Dinner

Since the sister in laws were in town i figured id take em to perhaps the best restaurant in the city, Thai Pavilion, neither of them were keen on Thai (the wife had been of a similar opinion once) but i was sure their opinion would change.

We got in around half past 7, Chef Ananda Solomon was on the phone, (every time im there ive been greeted by him) and were promptly sent to a nice corner table. First time i noticed the masks on the wall, usually im just so engrossed in the discussion, expectation and consumption of the feast to come.

I ate a whole bowl of the peanut sauce by myself, just love it. Grudgingly shared the second bowl (lets be clear these arent soup bowls)

At TP i avoid starters as it just becomes too much food and they dont have much of an appetizer selection to begin with, yet considering it was a foursome we ordered some mushrooms as well as some Thai style rolls.. both were ordinarily and fairly avoidable

The Tom Yum was just mild, not pungent and spicy hot like it usually is, we sent it across to be spiced up a bit and they really went to town on it, one spoon on the walls would peel of paint. 

The Tom Kha, coconut flavored soup is usually delicately flavored, which was missing this time around. It was not bad, everyone liked it, however i know how great it can be and it was definitely not there.

The cashew and water chestnuts in chilli paste were awesome, just perfect.

The pad thai noodles were stellar, the Thai Red Curry was out of this world (no surprise here)
and not much else to say really. By the time we were done there was nothing left.

So, in the end, the appetizers were disappointing and the soups were slightly below par, however the main courses were just fantastic. The girls loved the food and had no complaints, so no major complaints i reckon. 

The service, was scatter brained, i made the mistake of ordering our entire meal in one go and then everything was brought out together, so we sent the soups back while we finished the appetizers, i find this to be a cardinal mistake made by some restaurants and avoid ordering all together, however would not expect this from the Taj.

The food arrived in quick succession as it always does, always seems like there is a sense of urgency on their part to turn around covers, didnt feel rushed however.

We asked for a slight change in a dish, asking them to combine one dish with the sauce of another  but there was some confusion, they got us both the dishes. Being the Taj, they served us both the dishes and took one of them off the charge. For all the bumbling, does not leave one with a bad taste in your mouth.

An off day for the best restaurant in the city, lower by their usual standards yet a pretty strong showing.

Food: 7/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 4200 for 4 without drinks.