Some restaurants are for some diners more than just an eating site. It's an establishment they grew up with, a place filled with familiar comfort, good memories and delicious fillers.
Still, never had I been prepared to say this about a department store eatery.
So allow me to gladly introduce you, my dear readers, to this week's subject of review: Thai Terrace at Central Chidlom.
The 44-year-old restaurant, initially opened to cater to shoppers, has been in business since 1975 under the names "The Central" and, from 1992 onward, "The Terrace".
My recollection of the it dated back to when I was a 13-year-old accompanied by my grandmother while shopping for toys. Thirty-five years later, now coming with me to the restaurant is my teen-aged son who, as far as I remember, repeats what his mother had as a child from the menu.
Just recently, our favourite eating place has been renamed once again.
And as its renewed moniker, Thai Terrace, suggests, the menu too was revamped and the kitchen now focuses mainly on authentic Thai cuisine.
On the updated 100-item menu, almost all the favourite local dishes remain. Western items such as pork chops, steak and pasta have been removed to give way to an additional 50 Thai options.
Lending the meal a mild-tasting kick-start, deep-fried shrimp cakes with sweet plum sauce (169 baht) are an all-time popular dish. Other choices such as deep-fried marinated chicken wings (129 baht) and deep-fried sun-dried squid (199 baht) are as well recommended.
For the new entries, among those highlighted is phla hua plee goong sod, or banana blossom salad with shrimp (139 baht).
Served on a large fresh petal of banana blossoms is a flavourful jumble of finely-sliced banana blossoms, minced pork, flash-blanched shrimp, shallots and toasted cashew nuts, all seasoned with lime juice, fish sauce, palm jaggery, roasted chilli oil and coconut cream.
Gaeng khua pu bai cha-phlu, or southern-styled crabmeat curry with wild betel leaves (319 baht), a dish to be eaten with rice, is also a new highlight.
A creamy thick concoction of naturally sweet crabmeat lumps, chopped betel leaves, coconut cream and herbs, the curry impressively revealed a deep heat pungency -- as opposed to the typical tongue blazing spiciness found in most Thai dishes.
I recommend that you pair the poignant curry with khai jiew (Thai-styled omelette) because the two wonderfully lend a complementing contrast to each other.
The Terrace's rendering of an omelette with dok khajon (119 baht) proved the best of its kind. The egg, fused with a lush green helping of cowslip creepers florets, was perfectly fried to present a grease-free treat that's enjoyable and addictive even without rice.
Also complementing the deep-fried omelette nicely was nam phrik long ruea pla fu (219 baht). It's a generous platter of thick and gritty spicy shrimp paste (a bit too sweet for my palate), a delicate, puffed-up mass of deep-fried minced catfish meat, three bite-sized pieces of acacia omelette and assortment of fresh and cooked vegetables.
Gaeng som phak ruam goong sod, or a sour and spicy soup of assorted vegetables and prawn (169 baht) was another worth-ordering dish to go with rice.
The restaurant current offers a series of set meals for up to five diners. A four-dish set menu (555 baht), catering to three diners and featuring the likes of gaeng som, khai jiew, nam phrik and grilled pork with rice vermicelli, proved a true value for money.
Omu-rice with deep-fried duck confit and Japanese sweet soy sauce.
The Terrace has long been well-loved for its unique variety of personal-portioned dishes prepared to house-concocted recipes.
One of the most-ordered -- also my childhood favourite -- is described on the menu as Japanese rice omelette with fried duck confit (169 baht).
It's actually a fried rice seasoned with salty sweet Japanese soy sauce and wrapped in paper-thin omelette. This omu-rice comes with slices of deep-fried battered duck confit and sweet pickled ginger on the side. Although I like the dish very much, its rather small portion has quite a few times drawn me back.
A more pungent khao phad phrik mun goong ped yang kaphrau krob, or rice fried with shrimp tomalley accompanied by roasted duck and crispy basil (169 baht) is another personal platter I've always enjoyed.
Repertoire of desserts is as much mouthwatering as it is comprehensive.
You don't want to miss the all-time best-selling kluay khai chueam, or caramelised banana with coconut cream (69 baht), agreed by regulars as one of the best in town; and khrong khraeng, or sweet rice gnocchi with roasted sesame seeds, water chestnut, lotus seeds and coconut flesh in warm coconut milk (69 baht).
For a more frothy finish, I highly recommend sago cantaloupe (79 baht), warm and sweet tapioca pearls topped with melon-flavoured shaved ice, coconut milk and freshly scooped cantaloupe.
The restaurant is always flocked by regular clienteles, almost all of them are local families. Service was prompt and cordial.
