9 pm on a Saturday night, and I'm sitting alone at my table at Koh, the Thai restaurant at the InterContinental, Mumbai. My colleague who was supposed to join me for dinner, has in all probability stood me up. So instead I'm sipping on my welcome drink, a ‘Lemongrass cooler' (a refreshing combination of orange and lime juice with fresh lemongrass) and leafing through the long menu simply entitled ‘Koh by Ian Kittichai'.
Chef Ian has consulted at a string of restaurants around the world and has opened some of his own, including the famous Kittichai Restaurant in New York and Restaurant Del Murmuri in Barcelona. ‘Koh' features Chef Ian's signature Thai cuisine and the Chef personally visits the restaurants for a few days every month to oversee the menu and kitchen. Koh's menu has been given a makeover by the Chef, whose culinary style reflects the diverse cuisines he experienced as a child, as the personal note on the first page of the menu will tell you.
Getting started
The InterContinental at Marine Drive is one of the smaller hotels of the chain but stunning views of the Arabian Sea and close proximity to South Mumbai's posher neighbourhoods has earned it a loyal clientele. The swish, muted décor of the lobby is carried forth in the restaurant, which emulates the same dim lighting with neon purple accents. A Thai poem scrawled on a glass wall is the centrepiece of the restaurant and the walls are also covered with glass paintings which are replicas of ancient Thai art, complemented by the high, glass brick false ceiling. Tables are comfortable and quietly elegant – gold table runners, tealights with fresh white orchids and velvet blue upholstery.
I start off with little rice tartlets, a crunchy base with a filling of sweet corn, greens, onions, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, fresh and subtly flavoured. Steaming, hot vegetables dumplings are next, with an innovative minced, curried filling that's almost Indian in taste and texture. Baby spinach bricks, steamed and moulded fresh spinach are lightly flavoured with garlic and soy and are light on the palate and the stomach – ideal if you don't want to ruin your appetite. The waiter insists that I try the Crunchy Lotus Stem, a house favourite. Thinly sliced, fried to a crisp bite and coated with a chilli-tamarind paste, it's just the right combination of sour and spicy with a satisfying crunch as you bite into it.
If you prefer to start off your meal with a soup, the spicy crab and roasted egg drop soup is generous with the meat, flavourful and spicy. The Asian corn and cilantro chowder might look bland at first sight but was actually meaty with chunks of water chestnut and chicken and flavoured with fresh chilli shavings and celery. It's also available in a vegetarian version, minus the chicken.
Seafood is a primary indicator of any good Thai restaurant, and Chef Ian does full justice to that. The poached fillet of Vietnamese sea perch almost melts in your mouth and goes surprisingly well with oven roasted broccoli and a citrusy dressing. The crystal shrimp in a red wine and oyster sauce was sweet and sour and also delicious.
Vegetarians have ample choice at Koh too and Chef Ian tells me that a big number of the regulars here are vegetarians. I tried the Vietnamese fried rice with mushrooms which was simple and flavoured with burnt garlic. The Thai green curry is served piping hot over a burner and was unusual combination of water chestnuts and eggplant and fragrant with basil and lemongrass – perfect with the rice. Wok tossed haricot beans with soy, onions and garlic were crunchy and lightly cooked. However, the spicy sriracha vegetables with a sweetish gravy were a bit too bland for my liking.
Sweet endings
In almost every Chinese or Thai restaurant, the quality of the desserts are usually far below that of the main course and starters. The grapefruit layered crepe cake lacked flavour and the Thai guava crumble was disappointing. I was far luckier with what the Chef hand picked for my meal. The flourless valrhona chocolate fondant substitutes gluten with almond dust and is thus almost as light as air, crumbling as soon as it sitsin your mouth. The mango sticky rice crème brûlée was sour-sweet with fresh mango and served alongside fresh kiwi and strawberries, also excellent.
Koh, with its efficient, non-intrusive staff, extensive menu and stellar location is a great place for a leisurely meal or romantic night out.
What: Thai fine dining
Where: Koh, InterContinental, Marine Drive, Mumbai
How much: Rs 1,800-Rs 2,000 per head
ketaki@thehindu.co.in
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