Malai Thai, Fraser Place KL
When you think of authentic Thai food in KL, not many places pop to mind. That’s because it’s mostly chains in the city. A new player to the game is Malai Thai at Fraser Place, which brings authenticity and just plain old good Thai food to downtown KL.
Malai Thai not only serves the most delicious authentic Thai food, it also showcases its creativity in dishes such as it’s Thai crispy fish with mango salad (RM25). This is unlike any other Thai appetiser we’ve ever tried. The fish is addictive - so much so that you can’t just have one piece. We easily finished this dish and if we didn’t have so many dishes on our table already, we would have ordered more!
One of the highlights of our meal at Malai Thai is hands down the spring rolls (RM21). It’s super crispy and delicious. It’s the first time we’ve ever had spring rolls that are so thin, but don’t despair, every inch of it is stuffed with filling and it proved to be a substantial appetiser.
Of course, any must-have at a Thai establishment is tom yum soup. The tom yum seafood (RM35) here is a generous serving, enough for four to five to share. It packs a punch with the spiciness, great to cater to the Malaysian tastebuds.
The mains are equally stellar here at Malai Thai. Starting with the green curry chicken (RM24), we enjoyed its creamy mixture and the spiciness level was just right. What I like about authentic green curries is that it doesn’t come off too sweet (or green, for that matter) and Malai Thai hits every nail on the head.
To the left side of the picture below is a stir-fry chicken with cashews (RM24), another classic Thai dish that is an easy-favourite for everyone. This is a non-spicy dish, making it great for kids and those who have a more sensitive palate.
We tried another one of Malai Thai’s delicious curries - the red beef curry (RM28). Beef is a hard meat to get right, often overcooked in curries, but here, the beef is tender and goes perfectly with the flavourful red curry.
We also had he privilege to sample Malai Thai’s steamed squid (RM40). I have to admit, it’s my first time having squid this way and I often avoid this particular seafood because again, like beef, it tends to be overcooked and ends up rubbery. Yet, Malai Thai has showcased its utmost expertise in executing every dish perfectly by cooking the squid to just the right doneness.
Pictured below is the cashew chicken we mentioned earlier.
Finally, we got to try the Pad Thai (RM26 with prawns). Trying the most common Thai dishes at a Thai restaurant is always a good way to gauge the authenticity and quality of the food. Much like the other dishes, the Pad Thai was delicious. It wasn’t too sticky or sweet, and carried just the right flavours.
Something you absolutely cannot miss out on at Malai Thai is their desserts. From the coconut ice cream (RM16) to the mango sticky rice (RM18) to the Tub Tim Krob (RM12).
Now, you might be thinking, these sound like standard Thai desserts. What makes it stand out from others? Interestingly, Malai Thai actually makes everything from scratch. Yes, that includes the rubies in the red ruby dessert. What we particularly enjoyed was the ice cream, which came with lots of extra toppings from yam to strips of jackfruit to the famous red rubies (made of water chestnut).
Having the desserts here at Malai Thai is a good enough reason for us to brave Friday night traffic to get here! But don’t take our word for it. Head down to Malai Thai to have a taste for yourself!
Malai Thai Ground Floor, Fraser Place 10 Jalan Perak 50450 Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: daily 12pm to 10pm Closed only on Sundays