Absolute Thai: Street food on a budget

By Madushka Balasuriya

Sri Lanka’s food culture is one that is becoming increasingly known for its tendency to absorb foreign cuisines into its collective diet; Chinese, Indian and to an extent Italian cuisine, have over the years become commonplace in the country. In more recent times however, Thai food has begun commanding its very own patch of land on the Sri Lankan palate, with some 14 Thai outlets at present sharing the Sri Lankan restaurant space. 

Having said that, this near ubiquity, while offering choice, also tends to wear out the possibilities when it comes to novelty. So when Siam House, Sri Lanka’s very first purveyor of authentic Thai cuisine, announced the launch of its new offshoot Absolute Thai Street Food, our curiosity was piqued.

Ambience

Located on the lawn of the Siam House premises on Melbourne Avenue, Galle Road, Absolute Thai offers a contrasting vibe to the traditionally Thai decor seen in the Thai house occupied by their more illustrious partner. Decked out with plastic chairs and tables, and with food being served on disposable plates with plastic cutlery, it attempts to bring to the fore the very essence of walking along the streets of Sukhumvit, where a cornucopia of sights, sounds and smells grapple for your attention. 

The experience is rounded out by a rustic hut made of pellet wood located in the corner of the lawn, which is where the proverbial magic happens; Siam House employing five chefs in total – including a Head Chef who has been there since inception – two of which have been spared for the outdoor hut-cum-cooking station. 

There’s also a shout-out to some alternative Thai culture, with an “insert-your-face-here” cardboard cut-out of Thai anime characters placed on the side of the lawn, its amusement factor presumably increasing exponentially the more inebriated patrons become. 

Menu

Speaking of which, the beverage list, while not extensive, manages to cover quite well the range of drinks the restaurant’s target clientele may choose to indulge in. Written on a whiteboard with erasable markers is a list of ‘Thai Mojitos,’ Siam House’s very own take on an old classic; the names – Arrackito, Redrumito, Ginto, Whiterumito and Vodkato – while lacking in subtlety are quite self-explanatory, but on the off-chance this evades you, all the liquor on offer is lined up neatly on a table nearby. Completing the list of beverages is the mandatory offerings of soft drinks, water and beer (local and Thai).

Continuing in the ‘less is more’ trend is the food menu, containing eight items in total. The ‘base’ dishes comprise of Stir Fried Egg Noodles with Vegetables (Rs. 200) and the Seafood Sukiyaki (Rs. 460), a glass noodle dish. The Spicy Papaya Salad (Rs. 150) offers the one dish on the menu resembling a starter, while a majority of the menu is made up of ‘bites’, such as the Grilled Squid (Rs. 580), Deep Fried Prawn Spring Rolls (Rs. 370), Grilled Chicken Balls (Rs. 225) and Chicken Satays (Rs. 290). The only dish on the menu that is probably not meant for sharing is the Noodle Soup topped with Grilled Chicken Balls (Rs. 220), offering a meal on its own.

Recommendations

Generally when conducting a food review, trying every item on the menu in one sitting is not a realistic aim, however with Absolute Thai offering just the eight dishes, this was never going to be a problem.

Starting off with the good, the first thing that stood out was the speed of service; all eight dishes arrived in roughly 30 minutes, so if you’re looking for a ‘quick’ bite this would most definitely be the place. Next was the consistency; some of the dishes we took particular liking to we did order more of, which provided us a good chance to see if the quality would remain the same. The answer was a resounding yes, with the Grilled Squid the best example of this. 

Squid if overcooked can become rubbery in a hurry, however the texture remained perfect all three times we ordered it. As for taste, while the squid on its own was a touch bland, in combination with either the accompanying green chilli or kochi sauce it was simply outstanding. The kochi sauce in particular was a favourite throughout our meal, with the spice of the kochi offering a great ‘kick’ but at the same time not overstaying its welcome on your tongue.

The Prawn Spring Rolls were another favourite, a unique take on a classic with the spring roll paper wrapped around the prawn in its entirety. The Chicken Satays too were well prepared but was another dish elevated by one of Absolute Thai’s exquisite range of homemade sauces, this time their quite delicious peanut sauce.

Of the base dishes, both the vegetarian Stir Fried Egg Noodles and the Seafood Sukiyaki were packed with flavour. The clear standout however was the sukiyaki, with its slightly sweeter edge reminiscent of another Thai classic, the Pad Thai.

Of all the dishes the one we least liked was the Grilled Chicken Balls. While it came with yet another delectable sauce – the Thai Sweet Chilli – it was just too bland on the whole. Quite possibly a side effect of traditional Thai flavours not meshing with a Sri Lankan palate that prefers a little more spice.

The Noodle Soup and the Spicy Papaya Salad, meanwhile, were decent without veering into the exceptional, but the addition of the Chicken Balls into the noodle soup did not help its cause. That being said, all the dishes were made profoundly better by virtue of the positively luscious kochi sauce.

Value for money

On the whole, with a majority of their dishes both delicious and geared towards sharing, and cocktails which do not skimp on the liquor, you will be hard-pressed to find another destination in Colombo which offers better value for money. According to Siam House management, their target clientele are individuals looking to “wind down” after a long day’s work, or even groups of students looking for a fun evening out, but one that is easy on the wallet.

“There are enough top of the range restaurants in town, but for someone who gets Rs. 30,000 salary, he wants to come and not spend more than 1,000 bucks, so where does he go? For 1,000 bucks they can have a drink and two dishes here,” they explained. That is something which is definitely hard to argue against, even with the caveat that prices on display are not inclusive of tax. 

In fact, the only thing keeping Absolute Thai from becoming your next go-to spot for a ‘bite and a drink’ might be their own self-admitted lack of promotional activities, which at the moment extends to Facebook and word-of-mouth. However, with their low overheads and minimal startup costs, they can quite easily afford to play the long game.

Pix courtesy Siam House