Aptly named ‘Royal Thai’, Cinnamon Lakeside’s most popular restaurant has whipped up a menu that dish out the most delicious of Thai food. When you enter ‘Royal Thai’ you will realize that it’s a Kingdom by itself, with not only the food, but the service as well, with a welcome fit for a King and Queen and their brood. This is how we, the visitors to this plush five star restaurant located in the commercial hub of Colombo were greeted and served.
My onetime colleague Veteran Journalist Alvin Salley, currently in Media Relations at the Olympics Council of Asia, joined me to journey through the most popular of dishes lined up by this much sought after restaurant.
We were greeted by Kamal Alahendra- Director Food & Beverage who introduced to us, Kumar Fernando- Executive Sous Chef, and Thai Chef, Paweenthip Laojan.
With the expert guidance of these three maestros of food, it was decided we will go for the Seafood and Veggie dishes, to display Royal Thai’s signature dishes.
Starters
For Starters, the ‘Papaya Salad with Prawns’ and ‘Fish Cake with Sweet Chili Sauce’ were the choice. They were not only creatively presented but the taste was delightful. The potions were large. Unlike the leafy and often boring salads of other cuisines, Thailand’s famous papaya salad teases your taste buds with a tantalizing combination of spicy, sweet, salty, and sour elements. Papaya salad is especially popular in Thailand’s Northeastern region of Isaan, which shares a border with Laos. With the prawns added to this salad, makes it the perfect Starter.
Fish Cakes are made from ground fish and flour that is formed into small loafs and then steamed or fried. What we got was fried. It can be a healthy food if it’s made with high quality fish meat, like how it was done and not too much filler but deep fried in clean oil. It tastes savory.
Soups
Asian food has some of the best soups in the world and Thailand’s Tom Yum Soup is right up there with the best of them. ‘Tom Yam Prawn Soup’ was such a dishful, I wasn’t sure if, I I could get through with the next main dish, thereafter. With this soup Alvin, who was also based in Hong Kong for 30 years in his career, had steamed white rice as a side dish. He said it is the best he has tasted in Sri Lanka. The combo steamed rice and ‘Tom Yam Prawn Soup’ happened to be a splendid idea, which I too tried out and could now fully recommend! Key to this soup broth is all the fragrant fresh herbs and spices that go into it, like the kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, chilli and garlic. They impart such a great flavour into the soup!
Main Dishes
The list of all-time favorite main dishes is so long that it was one so difficult to choose from. I went for the ‘Pad Thai Noodles with Prawns’. This is by far the most ideal for the sea food lovers. I could only describe the food as a gourmet delight.
Pad Thai is made with soaked dried rice noodles, which are stir-fried with eggs and chopped firm tofu, and is flavored with tamarind pulp, fish sauce, dried shrimp, garlic red chili pepper and palm sugar and served with lime wedges and chopped roasted peanuts.
There’s a super choice for the vegans/ vegetarians. For example ‘Mushroom Hot Basil’ for those who want it all spicy and the ‘Vegetable Green Curry’ who prefer it nice and mild. These are ideal accompaniments for any main dish.
Alvin’s pick for the main dishes were, ‘Choo Chi Prawns’, another popular one for sea food lovers and ‘Steam Fish with Lime & Chili Sauce. Steam Fish dish is a typically Thai that is fresh and spicy in flavour. It is a great way to eat healthily without sacrificing taste. This recipe is commonly made with whole white fish. A connoisseur of good food, Alvin was totally in awe of all the dishes he tried out at Cinnamon Lakeside’s Royal Thai and concluded the lunch with a traditional Thai tea.
There’s always an edge for Cinnamon hotels in the city, renowned for their hospitality, but for that extra special pampering and to delight your taste buds, the Royal Thai reigns supreme. Their visitor records endorse what we experienced, and stands as testimony to the conclusion that the City’s best of Thai then can certainly be experienced at the Royal Thai of Cinnamon Lakeside. Just enter their Kingdom and experience the Royal service at its finest.
