Thursday, May 02, 2013

Songkran At Rama V

One of the nice things about this whole food blogging "business", in my opinion, are the relationships that are forged over time.  Not all restauranteurs become friends of course, but some do, and it's always very heartwarming to be invited back over and over, to sample various new menus, and partake in different occasions.  One such place is RAMA V, and owners Andre & Danny have over the years, become friends, and it is always a pleasure to get an invite to my favourite Thai restaurant in KL.

This time, the event was Songkran, or the Thai New Year, synonymous with the water games, and water splashing, signifying cleansing, ...speaking of which, in these days leading up to the GE13, there has been a lot of rain.  I digress...

Free flow alcohol is always a delight to the ears.

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To start with, we grilled scallop with spinach & pomelo salad with shrimp.  Generous quantities of pomelo, and a refreshingly tangy sauce that is so characteristic of Thai cuisine.  I loved the bed of spinach upon which the scallop rested, for some reason.  There was a lovely crunch to it..so much so I was surprised it was spinach.  Maybe a different genus...

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Thai pumpkin soup with diced prawn.  It's like a cross between a traditional pumpkin soup, and a prawn bisque.  I loved this, and could have easily had two bowls.  The tastes were really quite special, and I hope they feature this on their regular menu.

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Coconut flavoured shooter.  By shooter, I am not sure if it contained alcohol, but if it did, it was eclipsed by the copious amounts of wine I was imbibing. 

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Steamed River Prawn In Lime Juice & Chilli Sauce with Glass Noodles - truly a star dish.  I have always enjoyed the river prawns in Rama V, they obviously have quite a consistent supplier, but this dish is delicious.  The glass noodles, reminiscent of fried tong fun, but less oily, paired with the fresh cruncy prawn, which is adorned with a kaleidescope of colours that would make even the grinch smile.  Unfortunately for me, this was wifey's mains, not mine.

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My mains was the grilled tenderloin medallion served with green curry pesto & spaghetti.  I have to say the color scheme is gorgeous.  The red peppers, orange pumpkin, green curry and streaks of basil, almost like romping in a spring garden.  Complete with the cow.  Quite dead, of course.  I enjoyed my medallion, it was tender, but I personally find tenderloins too lean.  I like my meat with a little fat.  Or a lot.  Overall, it was an interesting combination, and actually one I don't mind replicating.  It's almost like a green curry laksa. 

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Lemongrass Panna Cotta.  Not named after the queen of bloggers...but really, lemongrass infused pannacotta, and not a stick there just for show.  I LOVED this dessert, and had 1½ servings.  Despite usually NOT being a creme caramelesque kinda guy, I loved the texture and flavour of this, and surprisingly, was not even put off by the gingery lemongrassy syrup.  Another item I hope is on the regular menu. 

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Entertainment for the night was with famous local songstress, Janet Lee, who belted out a repertoire of English and Chinese songs.  We were given a little souvenir album containing 5 of her songs, to take home.  As in a CD.  I quite like her renditon of Yue Liang Tai Piao Wo Ti Xin. 

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The dashing Andre, entrepreneur extraordinaire...and owner of Rama V.  I hate people with good looks and talent....

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The crew of Rama V

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And let the games begin!  The splashing of water...bad picture because it was taken a distance away, did not want to risk getting drenched. 

Check out their FB page HERE
RAMA V FINE THAI CUISINE
5 Jalan U Thant
Tel: 03-2143 2428

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