If I’m asked to mention 3 words representing Thailand, I will say beach, shopping, and FOOD! Yes, F.O.O.D! I’ve been to Thailand once and they have tons of foods, which I’m in love with. I’m not mentioning restaurant foods only, because even the street foods cause me an addiction. Tom Yung Goong, Pad Thai, Gai Hor Bai Toey (Chicken in Pandan Leaves), Khao Niaow Ma Muang (Mango Sticky Rice), Durian Sticky Rice, Thai Cassava, Thai iced tea, and many many more. I can even say that Thai dishes are very rich in flavors as you can find all tastes you’re able to mention; salty, sweet, sour, and even spicy.
Luckily, our beloved capital city Jakarta, serves us with quite many choices of restaurants to go for Thai foods. I’ve tried some of them and I do have my list of most favorite Thai restaurants. Last weekend, I tried Ying Thai, a restaurant serving Thai dishes resided in PIK area, together with my sister and my foodie friend. It’s actually not a new member in the Thai restaurants family since this restaurant was established last year. The spacious venue is highly visible so once you reach Ruko Crown Golf, it’s very easy to find it.
Decorated with big glass windows, the front area is perfect to get brilliant pictures of your foods. Correct guess, there’s where I sat when I visited the venue. However, if you prefer more private space, then you might go for the back area. The light is dimmer and the interior design is so Thailand!
As it was a food-tasting event, we were immediately greeted by the owner and the chef. So basically what’s served on the table were their picks for us, which I guessed were their best-sellers. Besides, there’s one new menu, which I’ll tell you more right after this.
Tom Yum Seafood (IDR 49k)
Stated in brief, this dish was simple yet lovely. The seasoning mixed into the broth was not overpowering, but you definitely could taste both the sweet and sour flavor in it. The most impressive parts were the prawn and the squid, which were so so fresh. The texture of both were so chewy, especially the squid. You would not face any problem like what you typically experienced with squid. Combining those seafood with mushroom was also a great idea, since their textures were kind of similar, making them suitable to be enjoyed together.
Red Duck Curry (IDR 65k)
If the previous one was quite light, this curry came as the complement with its thick texture. Though the color was red, you needn’t worry if you could not eat spicy dish as the spiciness level was quite low and it was more to sweet I thought. Similar to the components mixed in this bowl, the taste of the curry itself was very rich. Besides, I was very happy to find various veggies in this as for me who didn’t really fancy duck, they could be perfect substitutes. But if you’re a duck lover, you should try the duck since my sister who really loved duck, did fall in love with this.
Pla Nung Manow/Steam Fish (IDR 145k)
If I mention to you the dish name without allowing you to look at the picture, you might say that it’s just steam fish and nothing’s special about it. Ooww, watch out! Wait until you see the real dish and have a try on it. I just couldn’t hold myself to have some more (not only me actually, my sister did)! FYI, this was the first dish on the table that we finished. I actually did not know what type of fish was that. What I knew was it was just so fresh that the texture became so soft. The sour and spicy sauce was mind-blowing and impeccably complemented the flawless fish.
Yum Sam Grob/Crispy Pork Skin Salad (IDR 49k)
I’ve just known that this dish was a salad after we’ve finished the whole portion. For me, the generous portion was quite unsuitable to be called as salad. Anyway, who cares as long as it tasted succulent? It’s even better when the portion was bigger, wasn’t it? So basically, this dish served you the mixture of prawn, squid, lettuce, cashew nuts, and the heavenly crispy pork skin! I really loved crispy pork skin even without any additional sauce. Then guess what happened when it was cooked in this special sweet sauce? Of course, turned to be another irresistible one!
Kao Pad Nam/Nasi Goreng Babi Asem (IDR 39k)
Having talked about fish, prawn, squid, duck, and even pork skin; any typical Indonesian will surely ask then where’s the rice? My tummy hasn’t eaten without having rice. Answering your question, here’s a large portion of fried rice. To give extra happiness for your belly, Ying Thai served it together with dice-sized pork and sunny side up. I guessed I couldn’t ask for more. Merely delicious!
Ox-tongue Grapow (IDR 65k)
Finally, we meet the star of the day, who’s also the new comer actually, Ox-tongue Grapow or you might feel more familiar to call it as Gyu-Tan Don. Honestly speaking, before visiting Ying Thai, I’ve only once tried ox-tongue in my entire life and at that first trial, I decided that I hated ox-tongue and I would never have it again. I just thought that it was kind of disgusting since that time, the ox-tongue was thickly sliced and I still could clearly see the papilla (dots on the tongue). Surprisingly (I still couldn’t believe it when I was writing this sentence), I cheated on my own decision and chose to give a try on this as the presentation just looked tempting! The first thing coming into my mind when I looked at this dish was Y*shin*ya LOL and I was addicted to it. So, here I was, ended up trying this ox-tongue.
Another surprise, and this time it was a bigger one, I nominated this dish as my most favorite among all the impressive dishes I had in Ying Thai! The thinly-sliced ox-tongue was super super good and I even wouldn’t believe it’s ox-tongue if it’s not mentioned by the owner. It was so tender and yummy, blending the flavors of sweet, savory, and certainly spicy! Warning for you who couldn’t stand spicy dish, you’d better request a milder version when you made your order. I myself loved spicy dish and I thought the spiciness level was precise for my preference.
Thai Ice Milk Tea (IDR 25k)
Visiting Thai restaurant without drinking Thai Ice Tea is just like eating KFC without having its skin LOL (forgive my bad analogy). Simply said, this beverage’s a must in any Thai restaurant. How about Ying Thai’s version? Served in this huge glass, this drink is not only refreshing, but also able to fully satisfy your crave for Thai Tea! It’s a perfect relieve for your thirst, especially in the super hot and dry weather like what I was experiencing at that time. Just one thing, next time I will request less ice for it so it’ll still be sweet until the very last sip.
If you recall what I mentioned at the beginning, I only went to Ying Thai with my sister and my foodie friend. Yes, it’s only the three of us. So you might have guessed now how full we’re at that time, finishing 6 large-sized dishes plus 1 beverage for each. Actually, we’re still offered to try their dessert menu, durian sticky rice ice cream if I’m not mistaken. Unfortunately, there’s no more space left in our tummy :( . Nonetheless, I’m not really worry since I believe I definitely will go back here to try their other dishes and surely their desserts! Yeah, satisfying experience does worth repeating visits and loyalty, doesn’t it?
Taste: 9/10
Place: 8.5/10
Service: 9/10
Price: 9/10
Thanks for Reading! :)
YING THAI
Address: Ruko Crown Golf Blok B No. 8 – 9, PIK
Phone: (021) 2952 5756
Operating Hours: Mon – Sun 11am – 10pm
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Inputs & comments: jessicagaby@ymail.com
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