Jumeirah Restaurant Week: 3-course treat at Pai Thai

Dubai/ Abu Dhabi Your hunt for a perfect culinary outing this weekend and next should end at a restaurant participating in the fourth edition of the Jumeirah Restaurant Week that starts on May 14 and runs until May 23.

With over 40 Jumeirah restaurants from Dubai and Abu Dhabi – including Pai Thai and The Noodle House at Madinat Jumeirah, Junsui and Al Iwan at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, and The Ivy, The Rib Room and Alfie’s at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Brasserie Angelique at Jumeirah at Etihad towers – it’s perhaps the best shot at re-discovering your favourite Jumeirah restaurant over a three course meal at a shockingly affordable price.

To get a taste of what’s on offer during the 10-day festival I picked Pai Thai, the ornate Thai restaurant with a lovely terrace overlooking Al Qasr, Madinat Jumeirah’s circuitous waterways, for a preview. For Dh180, I should say, the experience was simply more than a steal.

Thai time

From a gorgeous looking line-up of three starters, I began with a Yam Som O Je, a stunning cold Pomelo salad topped with dried coconut, peanuts and Thai dressing and a traditional Sate Gai – four tender grilled chicken ‘sates’, delightfully garnished with lemongrass and turmeric and served with peanut sauce to die for. The first one – a pure vegetarian offering minus the breaded prawns - was a revelation for its freshness. A Thod Mon Kung or breaded prawn cakes complete the troika of starters.

The mains comprised a Pla Rad Prik or deep-fried dory fillets, a Gaeng Khiew Wan Phak or a vegetarian green curry and Thai noodles – Phad Thai Kung Sod.

The crisp breaded fillets served with garlic, chilli and sweet and sour sauce was a hit while the noodles, garnished with large prawns, tofu and topped with peanuts and eggs, was evocative of the true Thai taste – sweet and subtly tangy thanks to tamarind sauce.

It all, however, got very exotic with their desserts: Tap Tim Krob or crispy water chestnut in sugar syrup and coconut milk, served with crushed ice. There was also a sweet sticky rice with ripe mango and a platter of fresh Thai fruits, but nothing came close to the jelly-like chewy chestnuts.

Details:

Jumeirah Restaurant Week

You get: Three-course lunch and dinner

When: May 14-23

Where: Over 40 participating restaurants in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Price: Four levels of menus – Dh95, Dh120, Dh180 and Dh370 per person at casual, premium casual, high-end and exclusive restaurants

More info: www.jumeirahrestaurantweek.com