EATING OUT: All-round fantastic dining experience

If there is one thing I’ve learnt about fine dining, it is that it is not fashioned for the spontaneous. Restaurants of a certain distinction see people like myself, who don’t bother to make a reservation and show up

in house clothes that don’t look the part, as a bit of a bother. Perhaps that explains why I have often had to leave DusitD2’s Soi Restaurant, after being asked to wait over half an hour to get a table, following

my spur-of-the-moment dining decisions. So the other day after a weekend-long craving for Thai food, I decided to do things the proper way and made a dinner reservation in good time. Though it had been

ages since I dined at Soi, I was looking forward to what is always an enjoyable dining experience.

On arriving, I changed tables to one on the expansive terrace away from all the din, but it had not been laid so I was asked to wait in the lounge until they did it up. I was too lazy to move and insisted on sitting at the table, but Mary the chatty maître d’ told me in a firm whisper that it would be in bad taste and so I sulked and reluctantly went where she wanted me.

While the ambience is excellent with warm controlled lighting and earth tones, Soi is not the typical traditional Thai restaurant. You will be lucky to catch even a glimpse of Buddha or silks which are common

fixtures in many similar establishments. The architectural furniture features both wood and chrome, creating the kind of modern swanky charm which would appeal to guests who love contemporary decor.

Back at my table, the waiter and I discussed my options before finally deciding on the wok-fried pork fillet which he assured me was excellent. Rather than noodles, I was advised to accompany my stir-fry

BEYOND HORRIFIED

with coconut rice and I acquiesced to his wisdom, but made sure to ask for a stiff gin cocktail made with egg whites and who knows what else. I was beyond horrified when it arrived in a plastic martini-type

glass and sent it right back to be decanted into a real glass for real adults. When it came back I sipped and smiled. Best cocktail of the month!

A handcrafted ceramic bowl was brought packed full of French beans, eggplant, pork chunks and a most divine oyster sauce with a hint of dark soy. The waiter had been right. I love pork and have eaten it in

more ways than I can count, but this was by far the best wet pork I’d had in ages. And a damn good potion too! The vegetables weren’t overcooked and the meat was well tenderised, it didn’t feel like pig. No

need for extra seasoning whatsoever. The combination of spices was subtle and lent itself to creating a perfect balance with the fragrant rice. An all-round fantastic experience save for that little shock with the

plastic… I do not even know what to call it!