MOOBAAN Thai Restaurant’s Thai Pomelo Salad struck a chord with its sweet and juicy pulp, crispy dried prawns, shallots and garlic, brought together with a well-balanced dressing. It was so good.

We were also pleasantly surprised by the next four dishes we picked for lunch at this casual eatery in Bukit Desa, Kuala Lumpur.

First was the delicious Pad Prik Gaeng Sator, or Stir-fried Petai with Pork in Curry Paste, which had the stink beans and slices of pork in a curry sauce scented with lots of Thai basil and kaffir lime leaves.

Any Thai dish with cha om (Acacia pennata), that fern-like “vegetable” with its special scent, always gets my vote.

So, it was the Cha Om Omelette for me. It turned out golden brown, crispy at the edges, and generously filled with cha om. I loved it.

The Gaeng Kaneng, or Red Curry with Pork, turned up the heat, so much so that my palate seized up. This red-hot curry had eggplant and long beans in it, besides slices of tender pork.

But, the curry grows on you when you come back to it after tasting the other dishes.

The BBQ Squid was fresh and tender, served with a green chilli dip.

The BBQ Pork Neck tasted like good char siu, lightly sweet, moist and skilfully grilled. It was paired with a subtle plum dip. These and the red curry called for some well-chilled Singha beer.

We came back for another meal, and this time, it was the slightly less hot Gaeng Ba, or Yellow Pork Curry, for me.

The fragrant coconut-less curry came with the meat, eggplant and long beans – and of course, Thai basil.

I haven’t had a good Goong Hor Wun Sen, or Thai Pot Tiger Prawn Glass Noodles, in a while, and Moobaan’s take on this dish lived up to my expectations.

All the flavours of the prawns, Chinese celery, spring onions, fried whole garlic, ginger and lard crispies embraced the glass noodles, which stayed moist with the sauce, and did not clump together. The noodles were excellent.

The Moo Ping, or Pork Skewers, turned out tender, juicy and sweet, served with a light chilli dip.

Only the Yam Ruam Mit, a combination salad of squid, prawns, Thai white sausage meat, prawn cake, glass noodles, tomatoes and Chinese celery, was lacking. I didn’t like the dressing, which was too sharp, tart and hot.

I liked that the Pandan Lemongrass Drink was made without sugar, and refillable. And if you order the Tab Tim Krab, the portion is large enough to be shared.

It is inexpensive dining at Moobaan. The Yellow Pork Curry is RM18, Thai Pot Tiger Prawn Glass Noodles (RM25), Yam Ruam Mit (RM16), Pork Skewers (RM4 each), Stir-fried Petai with Pork in Curry Paste (RM23) and Tab Tim Krab (RM9). The Singha beer is RM13 per bottle, while the Pandan Lemongrass Drink is RM3.

Moobaan Thai Restaurant is located at 15, Jalan Bukit Desa 5, Taman Bukit Desa, Kuala Lumpur. It can be reached at 03-2858-5623. – July 20, 2019.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.