I LIKE how Kin Rai Dee, which means “don’t know what to eat” in Thai, follows it with an invitation of “eat here la”. 

Obviously, it works. This new Thai eatery in Taman Tun Dr Ismail started filling up with diners after 7pm and we were glad we had popped in an hour earlier. 

We got word of the restaurant from a Thai friend who had given the food a thumbs up.

Mooping, or Thai pork skewers, was our first order, with its signature tamarind sauce, then giant Siham or cockles that were quickly boiled and served with Thai seafood sauce. 

The charcoal-grilled pork satay (RM15) shone with its house marinade and tamarind dip, which was deeply sweet and gently tart.

The giant cockles (RM35) measured 4cm across; I had never seen such large ones. Being large, they had firmer, succulent flesh.

I would have preferred a strong garlic chilli dip for the cockles, instead of the unexciting green chilli, shallot and lime dip served here. (We used to eat lots of boiled cockles at home with a hot, tart and garlicky Teochew chilli dip). 

The stir-fried Thai chilli paste with seafood or pad prik gang talay (RM29) was recommended.

We had prawns and squid stir-fried in a red curry paste with fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves and long beans. It was delicious and the fragrant, well-balanced sauce made you reach for rice to eat it with.

The outstanding dish of the night had to be laab moo, a Thai salad with minced pork and toasted rice.

A salad from northeast Thailand, it is distinguished by its spicy, sour and savoury dressing made with fish sauce, lime juice and chillies, then finished with coriander, sawtooth coriander and spring onions.

Ground toasted glutinous rice is added before serving, giving it a nutty aroma.

It was not just minced shoulder pork in this laab moo (RM25), but also slices of pork rind with a thin layer of fat and pork belly, that made it a textural delight.

We enjoyed the crunch of the coarse toasted rice and the salad went so well with raw long beans, lettuce and cucumber.

The green curry pork (RM27) tasted a little flat and bland. It lacked the fragrance of a skillfully fried green curry paste in pure coconut milk. The scent of kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil did not come through.

There are lots more dishes to explore in the menu at Kin Rai Dee, such as the casseroled glass noodles with prawns and pork belly, Thai-style salted egg with squid, cockle salad with sour mango and lemongrass, and deep-fried pork belly with fish sauce and garlic.

One-dish meals are available at lunch, such as Thai green curry with rice and salted egg (RM17.90), seafood tomyam with rice and omelette (RM19.90) and seafood fried rice or kao pad talay (RM19.90), among others.

Kin Rai Dee is located at 173A (1st floor) Jalan Aminuddin Baki, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, above 7-Eleven. Contact the restaurant at 012-261 8510. – October 22, 2022.

* 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.