Fahmi Sabri grew up with the unique three-in-one cuisine of Malaysia. At breakfast he usually dipped Indian-accented roti into a tangy tamarind sauce. Lunchtime often featured nasi lemak _ considered the country's national dish _ in which rice cooked in coconut milk and flavoured with pandan leaves is served with dried anchovies, a boiled egg, cucumber, roasted peanuts and a zippy sambal (chilli sauce). And many times for dinner he enjoyed mee goreng mamak, a medley of stir-fried yellow noodles and vegetables.
BE OUR GUEST: Welcoming the hungry to a haven for Malaysian food in Bangkok
These house specialities and more classic dishes from Thailand's southern neighbour are available at the Cili Padi Authentic Malaysian Restaurant, which is one of the few places offering the cuisine in Bangkok. It has the simple, homey look and feel of a typical cafe lifted right out of Kuala Lumpur or Penang.
Within the confines of Cili Padi's vibrant red walls, you might come across Malaysians exchanging passionate views on their country's upcoming parliamentary elections, or the occasional televised football game with the national team on the field being cheered on by partisan patrons. Malaysian news programmes, games shows and soap operas add an air of authenticity _ along with the dozens of dishes, of course, which cost mostly around 60 to 80 baht, with the priciest being only about 120 baht.
The clearest proof of the restaurant's success may be the notice board full of photos of Malaysian celebrities who have dined here.
DISH OF THE DAY: ‘Nasi lemak’, a simple but tasty combination of coconut-flavoured rice, dried anchovies, hard-boiled egg, peanuts and sambal.
"Malaysia is a multicultural country, and that is reflected in our culinary heritage. We want to put Malaysian food on the world map," says Mr Sabri, the restaurant's manager. He is eager to introduce the cuisine of his homeland to Thais and provide a taste of home to hungry Malaysian tourists in Bangkok. Diplomats from the nearby Malaysian embassy on Sathon Tai Road and Malaysian businesspeople from companies such as Petronas and Proton are also regulars in this eatery, which recently relocated to its current location on Pan Road.
Mr Sabri is more than aware of the exciting opportunities for his small restaurant to expand dramatically once the Asean Economic Community materialises in 2015.
"About five years ago, it was difficult to find Malaysian food in Bangkok. After talking with my uncle and my father, a diplomat who was working in Bangkok in the Malaysian embassy, where he still works, they came up with the idea of opening a small restaurant serving Malaysian food," says Mr Sabri.
While Mr Sabri, 30, spent much of his childhood abroad, as his father was posted to Malaysian embassies in Mexico and Los Angeles, he spent much of his teens and early adulthood on his own, focusing on his education. This included learning Spanish in Mexico and later working in a recording studio in Malaysia, making jingles and television ads.
In 2005 he moved to Bangkok, where his father and mother had moved the previous year, as it was his father's latest assignment. The avid guitar player arrived here in part to study audio engineering, but primarily to spend time with his ailing mother.
"I only had about eight months to spend with my mother before she died, but we were both grateful to have that time to say goodbye."
ALL OVER THE MAP: Malaysia’s tantalising trinity of Indian-accented roti canai, Malay-style nasi lemak and Chinese noodles in ‘mee goreng mamak’.
Mr Sabri's mother instilled in him a love for Malaysian food, culture and music. He and his wife are in turn passing those interests on to their five-year-old son.
"At Cili Padi we are sure to have a Malay chef who can cook Malay food. Otherwise it wouldn't be authentic. We import many of our ingredients directly from Malaysia by land. It takes 20 hours by train from Kedah, near the Malay-Thai border, to Bangkok, to transport the ingredients such as curry powder, tea powder and noodles for spicy and sour Penang laksa noodle soup. These ingredients are what make us unique and authentic.
"And the food must be halal," he says, referring to the Islamic method of preparation and cooking of food according to the main religion of Malaysia. The beef served in the restaurant is sourced from halal farms run by Pakistani-Thai families in the northeastern Bangkok suburb of Min Buri. Many Malay Muslims, when visiting Bangkok, make sure to visit Cili Padi for food that is both halal and Malay.
The Malaysian dishes here are ideally paired with tall glasses of hot teh tarik, or "pulled tea", named after the technique of it being poured in a long stream from a pot into a glass. It's sweetened with condensed milk and indeed at first sip it tastes like Thai iced tea would if served hot. But upon further savouring its distinct, robust identity is revealed _ the tea leaves come from plantations in the rolling and verdant Cameroon Highlands in central Malaysia. Another drinkable delicacy here is the bright-pink sirap bandung (iced rose milk).
HOT SHOT: A frothy, freshly poured glass of ‘teh tarik’, one of Malaysia’s most popular drinks.
While not as fiery as Thai dishes, Malaysian food does have a kick, which is reflected in the restaurant's name. "Cili padi is Malay, and means 'bird's eye chilli'. It's the same as Thailand's prik ki nu," says Mr Sabri.
Yet he stresses that, as with Chinese food, in Malaysian cuisine value is placed on moderation between spicy and more soothing flavours. He is keen on showing Thai and foreign diners that Malaysian food is not as bland as they may think.
In addition to having a passion for presenting the best of his homeland's little-known culinary treasures, Mr Sabri dreams of eventually expanding his restaurant to include regular live performances of Malaysian dance and music, saying, "I want to show the world the greatness of Malaysian cuisine and culture that my mother helped instil in me.
"My mother has always been my inspiration. She taught me a lot about life, food, music and culture. Despite being busy working as a local fashion magazine editor, she would never miss the chance to cook for my father and I. My family has always believed that to create a bond we need to have lunch or dinner together."
The Cili Padi Authentic Malaysian Restaurant is open daily from 11am to 10pm and is located at 107/3 Pan Road (between Silom sois 13 and 15). Call 02-635-1167 or 08-7864-1234.
HOORAY FOR MALAY: Fahmi Sabri, manager of the Cili Padi Authentic Malaysian Restaurant, hopes to tempt more Thai tastebuds into trying out his homeland’s underrated cuisine.
LAID BACK: the homey interior of the Padi Authentic Malaysian restaurant.
