Making a mall of it

Making a mall of it

The surprises keep coming as Vanilla Home Cafe delivers great Thai cuisine

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE

Let me say this again: don't underestimate restaurants in shopping plazas. Over the past few weeks, my profound gastronomic gratification has often involved a meal in a mall. And if you ask me which Thai restaurant is my favourite at the moment, I'd say Vanilla Home Cafe, a lovely-looking joint on the basement floor of Silom Complex.

Though located in a shopping plaza, Vanilla Home Cafe, the first-ever Thai cuisine outlet of the Vanilla brand, stylishly mimics a comfortable home in the 70s.

Excuse my frank remark, but I have to say Vanilla used to be, for me, an inspiring young restaurant brand only in terms of visual design and ingenuity. Hence I expected less when a friend asked me to join her for lunch at Vanilla's first-ever Thai cuisine outlet, which opened five months ago.

The restaurant, which invoked a comfortable home in the 70s, was completely packed at noon on the Friday we visited. Fortunately, my friend had booked a table in advance in the more serene "study room" zone behind the hustling, living room-like dining area and a stylish takeaway station.

It's a great idea to start off your visit here with a refreshment.

The home cafe's selection of house-formulated drinks, in categories of fruit frost, Thai fruit punch, flavoured soda, tea, coffee and milk, lusciously represents Vanilla's creativity.

Of more than 50 options, I asked a member of the service staff which is most popular, and he instantly replied "iced jasmine latte".

Sweet crispy noodles.

Not in a million years would I normally go for such a weird concoction: a coffee that is, according to him, scented with jasmine and texturised with basil seeds. Yet after I saw many fellow diners at nearby tables enjoying the drink, I decided not to follow my intuition.

The iced jasmine latte (95 baht) proved unbelievably good with all the elements intermingling perfectly together. Even my husband, who's a judicious coffee drinker, admitted it tasted quite fine.

Another drink we found truly pleasant and refreshing was the peach and plum punch (90 baht). The sweet, sour and aromatic drink, which nicely complemented our lunch, is also ideal as a palate cleanser at the end of the meal.

From a selection of Thai-style starters, the crispy fried tofu with salt and chilli (95 baht), the sweet and salty chicken wings (130 baht) and the sweet and sour crispy noodles, aka mee krob boran (130 baht), were outstanding.

The tofu, laced with brittle morsels of garlic and peppercorn, was so addictive I was craving it long afterwards. The chicken wings boasted a thick and gooey nam pla waan-style glaze and a garnish of crispy deep-fried shallots. The mee krob, which presented the crumbly, deep-fried rice noodle seasoned with kaffir lime zest, pickled garlic bits, chillies and chives and accompanied by fresh bean sprouts, green chives and a lime wedge, was one of the best in town.

Among the restaurant's most highlighted entrees are dishes prepared with kapi (shrimp paste). And the three choices that we tried were nothing short of excellent. First to impress was nam phrik kapi pla thu thod, or spicy shrimp paste dip with pan-fried Thai mackerel (150 baht). On a flat bamboo basket, the chilli dip and a fried fish were accompanied by an impressive assortment of fresh and cooked vegetables, namely morning glory, pumpkin, sesbania flowers, cucumber, string beans, aubergine and deep-fried, egg-battered cha-om sprigs. It was the best restaurant version of nam phrik kapi I've ever had, thanks to the shrimp paste enlivened by the sour, sweet and fiery flavours from the traditional herbs and spices.

Continuing to delight our palate was what's described on the menu as "spaghetti with spicy stink beans and prawns" (165 baht). The dish indeed presented No. 3 spaghetti noodles, stir-fried with shrimp paste, chillies, minced pork, prawns and crunchy slices of sataw beans which are locally celebrated for its sharp garlic-ish (rather than stinky) savour. This flavourful well-rounded dish is never to be missed.

A dozen selections of soup, from mild-tasting clear soups to spicy curries _ mostly old-fashioned and hard to find nowadays _ is listed under the curry category. In order to continue our kapi-orientated pleasure, we passed the likes of peppery coconut milk soup of mackerel and lotus stem and earthstar mushroom curry and clear soup of sesbania flowers to settle on spicy braised beef soup with shrimp paste (165 baht).

Featuring supple slices of marbled beef shank in a muddy-looking broth seething with kapi, shallots, galangal, lemongrass, white pepper and basil leaves, the herbally intense soup proved soothing and great, with or without rice.

All three kapi-leavened dishes were excellent, yet we learned that the restaurant's No.1 bestseller is a dish that has nothing to do with shrimp paste.

That honour goes to the mouth-watering khao khai noom kaphrao moo yor kuncheang, or lava omelette rice with chilli pork basil and Chinese sausage (150 baht). Thanks to its generous serving, the dish, which was truly enjoyable, is ideal for sharing.

From 14 dessert options, the crunchy peanut candy (khanom toobtub) with milk ice cream (145 baht) and sweet rice balls in milk ice cream (90 baht) proved just average.

A fruity ice parfait (choices include lychee, strawberry, peach, orange, tamarind and watermelon, 90 baht) might be a more clever choice.

Service was efficient. But more impressive was that every single dish came from the kitchen quickly and neatly displayed, something that is much appreciated by lunchtime diners.

A platter of spicy shrimp paste dip with pan-fried Thai mackerel.

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