Going the Thai way

FOR THAI street food enthusiasts here, there's no need to fly all the way to Thailand to get their fix. Just head to Petaling Jaya and stop at the Go Thai outlet, either the one in SS2, or the other at Atria Shopping Gallery.
Serving up authentic Isan fare from the kingdom's northeastern region, almost everything about Go Thai will make you feel like you're dining on the streets of Thailand.
From the ingredients to the kitchen staff, and even snacks and beer, everything is imported from across the border to ensure customers get the real Thai food experience.
Even the SS2 outlet's head chef Aek is from the Isan region.
Unlike many other restaurants serving Thai cuisine, the menu at Go Thai stands out for its hard-to-find regional dishes like the crowd-pleasing pad mee korat (RM10.90), a version of pad thai that is commonly found in Isan.
After a recent menu revamp, the restaurant now features six Michelin star-inspired dishes taken from Thailand's Queen of street food Jay Fai. And in conjunction with the new menu,
Go Thai is offering a special promotion where you can sample all six dishes for the price of RM128.
The promo also comes with three plates of steamed rice and three pandan lemongrass drinks.
They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and at Go Thai, it does an impressive job at recreating one of Fai's greatest, the kai jeaw poo (RM24.90) or crab omelette.
Get the image of the usual flat round omelette out of your foodie head because the Michelin star-inspired dish almost resembles a crab cake, with generous amount of crabmeat wrapped in a two-egg omelette.
You know the food is good when professional foodies Gourmet Hunter KL – founded by Derrick Te and Anthony Cheah – give their stamp of approval.
Cheah, who was recently chosen to be Go Thai's food ambassador, said: "I already tried a lot of Thai restaurants and they mostly don't serve anything extra special."
But at Go Thai, he was impressed by the crab omelette as he has never tried anything like the crabby dish. "I love the texture. There's a lot of crabmeat inside which [goes nicely] with the egg."
The phad ki mao (RM 14.90) is worth mentioning due to its vibrant peppery kick from the use of whole Thai peppercorns. Perfectly cooked morsels of squid are a lovely addition, contrasting in texture with the pleasantly chewy flat rice noodles.
The classic tum thad (RM38) and kao gaeng thod (RM14.90) are perfect dishes to share with friends.
Expect meaty pork meatballs, spicy and plain pork sausages, served with a medley of Asian greens and noodles on a large plate in a rattan stand for the tum thad, with a fruity pla ra sauce that ties the elements together.
The kao gaeng thod is a green curry rice ball reminiscent of Italian arancini. If you like green curry, then you'll probably like these bite-sized balls made with two different curry pastes.
Khao kha moo (RM11.90), a simple but rich dish of stewed pork leg served with rice and egg, is comfort food at its best.
Not all tom yum soups are made equal and Go Thai's tom yum seafood (RM14.90) is one of the better recipes you can slurp on.
The broth is wonderfully rich and savoury with a depth of flavour from the whole prawns, squid, mushrooms, and tomatoes. This is a must-try if you love the spicy dish.
For dessert, make sure to try the tub tim krob topped with 3D gelato (RM17.90). The shaved ice with Thai red rubies and coconut milk is refreshing on its own, but the creamy addition of a three-dimensional teddy bear perched on top makes it extra pretty for your Instagram feed.
For more, visit the Go Thai Facebook page.