Soi 19 Authentic Thai Restaurant @ Kuchai Lama, Kuala Lumpur

I rarely opt for Thai cuisine because I fear the spicy Thai food could trigger my gastritis. However, when Racheal of FoodiLIFEcious invited me to dinner one night when I was in the capital city a couple of weeks ago, I thought it could do no harm to just go along.

Soi 19 was Racheal’s suggestion. Located at Kuchai Business Centre, in my mind, that was a long way from the city centre. Indeed it wasn’t near but it was not inconvenient to go by public transport.

Taking Bus No. 600 from Pasar Seni Bus Terminal, alight at the bus stop that faces Scott Garden across the road. The fare was only RM1.50. From the bus stand, it was just a short walk straight and left to Kuchai Business Centre. Of course, after the meal, I had the good sense to hail a Grab ride.

The area of Soi 19 is like Little Bangkok, with many Thai establishments. In fact, Soi is Thai for ‘Street’ or ‘Lane’. The owner, a Malaysian married to a Thai, runs two restaurants side-by-side.

One serves Mookata, the two-in-one grill and steamboat, while the other serves Jim Jom, Thai-style beer hot pot. For the first few servings of Jim Jom, it was just clear herbal broth, which was so sweet that I drank a few bowls. Thank god the restaurant provides free unlimited refill.

Then, according to the diner’s choice, Thai beer can be added to the pot, to give the flavour a different kick since the brew acts as a sweetener.

Being a teetotaller, I opted out of that because by then, I was already replete. All these food were solely for three pax! Can you imagine that? Good thing that Soi 19 is a MSG-free restaurant, which makes it a wonder how the dishes could still be so flavourful.

Jim Jom
Jim Jom is a Thai Hot Pot and we ordered the Pork Set. They also serve a Pork + Chicken Set. We would leave that for another day. As mentioned earlier, we started with clear herbal broth.

After boiling, the waiter helped us to scoop some of the broth into a bowl, so as not to spill it when ingredients are added into the pot. I have no idea why a larger pot wasn’t used but this is the way Thais eat.

Then the waiter beat an egg and stirred it in a platter of pork slices. Once satisfied, he placed the meat into the pot, followed by an assortment of vegetables. I lost track of the time needed to cook the meat but sooner than expected, we got to taste the Jim Jom.

Pineapple Fried Rice
Our rice was this Pineapple Fried Rice. I like how the rice was not fried too wet or dry, and the grains separated easily. Look at the huge prawns served. Do take note that the portion was very generous and this was good enough for two diners.

Pad Thai
Pad Thai is a very common Thai street food. I was told that if chilli was added, it would be seriously spicy. Didn’t want to play with fire. I opted out of that and the taste of the dish was not reduced. The prawns were sizable and very succulent.

Som Tam
Som Tam is a variation of papaya salad, also a popular Thai dish. It is said that if you do not order Som Tam, you are not fully experiencing Thai cuisine. And that was why it was featured in our meal. It wasn’t as sourish as I had expected; just suitable for my palate.

Moo Sam Chan Tod
Moo Sam Chan Tod means three-layer fried pork. It is a good ‘snack’ when paired with beer. I reiterate, I don’t drink. Just eating the crunchy pork slices was good enough. It was very addictive. I could eat the whole plate! Luckily I stopped myself. What would my friends think?

Nam Tok Kor Moo Yang
We also had Nam Tok Kor Moo Yang (BBQ Pork Neck with Brasil Leaf). You can actually imagine the time we spent on dinner. From early evening till night time when we needed to use the flash for photography. LOL I didn’t take too much of this as my tummy was already bursting. Just took two pieces to taste the dish. No regrets!

Cockles
We wrapped up our meal with fresh cockles. Look how round and juicy they were! Even though I hardly eat cockles, I have to admit that I couldn’t resist myself. It was bouncy at first bite and then the sauces started flowing out to fill my mouth. Oh, undoubtedly yummilicious!

It was indeed a feast. If you love Thai food, you have to come here. No need to go to Thailand just for its cuisine.

SOI 19 (19th Street KaNom)
Add: 21, Jalan 1a/114, Kuchai Business Centre, 58200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +6017-699 0889
Facebook: Soi 19 Thai Steamboat & BBQ

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