Rama V Fine Thai Cuisine @ Jalan U Thant, KL

A meal fit for a king.... :)

I am actually quite conflicted on how to write this review:
1) I loved everything about Rama V - the ambience, the food, the service...
BUT
2) I didn't pay a cent for dinner.

Anyway, that aside, I'll try to be as objective as possible. :)
... and honestly, the ambience at Rama V near blew me away.

From the outside, it just looks like a normal "restaurant in a bungalow" type setting:
Rama V from the outside....
But inside, it feels like you've been transported to a restaurant in the middle of a beautiful Thai resort:
The dining area inside....
Beautiful lush garden setting outside, with private dining "huts"....
Inside one of the private dining "huts"....
That night, our wonderful hosts at Rama V had arranged for us to sample their new concept: The Chef's Table Menu - a seasonally changing set with exotic off the menu specialties, arranged for small dinner parties of 6 (must pre-book).

We tried so much that night so I'll try to keep it short:
APPETIZERS:
1) Traditional Thai Hor's Doeuvres:
I had never tried this before so it was interesting - (apparently it's a very traditional Thai appetizer) where you pick up your leaf and fill it with whatever variety of fillings strike your fancy:
A selection of fillings to choose from....
Step 1: Roll leaf and fill up with whatever you want from the platter....
Step 2: EAT! *chomp*....
I didn't think I'd like it, but I did. :)
(Except that I over ambitiously put too many cili padi in my first leaf. Ow.)

2) Crispy Rice Cakes With Minced Chicken and Shrimp Sauce:
A plate of crispy rice cakes....
Overall, simple but nice. Crunchy without being starchy and balanced with the light sauce.

3) Shrimp Cakes With Sweet & Sour Sauce:
The Shrimp Cakes....
Also, simple and nice. Crisp on the outside, meaty and moist on the inside. :D

4) Flower Shaped Dumplings with Minced Chicken and Peanuts:
The beautiful Flower Dumplings....
These were so pretty! :) :)
And so yummy too - slightly sticky, nutty, crunchy... all at the same time.

SALADS:
5) Pomelo Salad with Australian Abalone & Shrimp:
The yummy pomelo salad....
This was one of my favourites for the night - juicy pods of pomelos mixed with nuts and super fresh slices of abalone and shrimp... refreshing and delicious. :D

6) Marinated Raw Prawns with Chili and Ginger Sauce:
Some like it raw....
I didn't like this. But only because I don't like raw meat/ seafood. :(
(It was really fresh though - I tried one piece. I'm sure those who like sashimi will like this too)

SOUP:
7) Tom Yam with Scotland Clams, served in Young Coconut:
A bowl of fire water....
Wah.
This almost knocked my socks off. :)
Individually prepared, this Tom Yam really packs a punch - spicy, silky smooth and a bit sweet (because stewed in the young coconut, and not just ladled in later),... and packed with succulent strips of scotland clams.

MAINS:
8) Roast Duck Curry with Lychee:
THE Duck Curry....
AWESOME.
('Nuff said)

9) Sauteed Live Spider Crab in Thai Chili Paste:
The gigantic spider crab, served in chili paste....
This poor crab had been happily walking around just a couple of minutes before it was served, and you could definitely taste it. Mmmm... The meat was juicy and so "sweet" that you really didn't need the sauce.
(Although the sauce tastes great with rice)

10) Steamed Soon Hock Fish with Lime Juice and Chili Sauce:
The simple steamed Soon Hock....
This poor fella had also been alive shortly before arriving at our table.

I almost feel guilty....
.. but I guess it's not our fault that it's so delicious, is it? :)

11) Lightly Sauteed Lamb with Young Pepper and Basil Leaves:
The fabulous lamb....
ALSO AWESOME.

12) Stirfried Asparagus with Sea Snails and Oyster Sauce:
The stirfried asparagus....
Yummy fresh and crunchy asparagus, with delicious pieces of snails - simple but good.

DESSERT:
We were all thoroughly stuffed by the end of all the mains, but when they brought out the dessert "menu" - small displays of the available desserts presented on a platter - we just could not resist. :)
Choices, choices....
13) Pumpkin Custard:
The pumpkin custard....
Hmmm.. interesting - this is the first time I've tried something like this. Smooth, creamy custard, with the natural sweetness of pumpkin.

14) Tapioca cubes with Coconut Sauce:
The Tapioca cubes with Coconut Sauce....
This was simple and nice, slightly chewy cubes of tapioca dipped with the sweet cocount sauce.

15) Banana Fritters:
The banana fritters....
I completely agree with Joe on this - would have been perfect if they had some ice cream served with this. Otherwise, it was ok (but I didn't like the shaved coconut mixed in the batter.. It's just me - I don't really like coconut that much)

To cap off the review, here are some out takes from the night. :)
- Bloggers hard at work!:
"Oh yeah, that's gorgeous, the camera is loving you baybeh!"....
- Joe gets hands on:
"What's wrong with fully enjoying your food, finger licking and all, at a 5 star restaurant? Haha"....
- Everyone chilling out at the table after dinner:
"When's the next round, Danny and Andre??"....
At the end of the night, (with my pants feeling significantly tighter! Boo...) what I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The food was fantastic, the ambience was really nice... and of course, the great company made it even better.
:)

Some important details:
This special Chef Table Menu is definitely on the higher end (around 300 bucks per person, only upon prior booking) but we did scan the menu and were pleasantly surprised to see that Rama V has a very varied menu to suit all budgets - you can definitely have a 3 course meal here for around RM 55++ per person, just don't be so greedy to order all the exotic seafood.

Anyway, (this post is getting too long!) lastly and very importantly:
- Thanks to dahling Miss Hot Stuff Ciki for extending the invite *hugs*
- Thanks to Danny & Andre @ Rama V for being the perfect hosts, and
- And thanks to Joe, Nigel & Allan and Unka Leong for being such great company that night. :)

Overall: Beautiful restaurant, attentive service, delicious Thai food for a range of prices (up to you - you can dine here for < 50 bucks, or > 200 bucks per person, depending on what you order) BUT traffic in the KLCC/ Jalan Tun Razak area can be very bad.

Summary Sheet:

Rama V Fine Thai Cuisine @ Jalan U-Thant, KL

Taste: 8
Ambience : 8
Service : 7
Price** : This dinner was approx. RM 300 per person, but usually can eat for RM 55++ per person
Parking: OK

** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks

Telephone No.: 03-2143 2428
Opening Hours: 12noon till 3pm, 6pm till late.
Parking : Limited (but free - can park in the front lawn)

NO PORK SERVED

OTHER REVIEWS:
- Lots Of Cravings
- Kampung Kayell
- The Nomad Gourmand


TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Thai, Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan U-Thant, Rama V