The inside of the restaurant is filled with calming colors, elegant furniture and Asian style decorations. “Thai Thai” has truly done an impressive job of sticking to their selected theme — from the placemats and the utensils to the lighting and the seating. Even the tea is served in a cute little turquoise elephant that is, at minimum, worth a chuckle and smile. As we made it to our table, I could not help but wonder if “Thai Thai” would be just as good a meditation center as a restaurant.
As I opened the first page of the menu, I was surprised to see various ingredients and vegetables used in their dishes, complete with names and photographs. This was something new for me, and it effectively gave me a feeling of confidence that the owner is just as serious about the food as he is about the decor. Many of the various plates on the menu are accompanied by a picture — a move I generally dislike and tend to associate with fast food establishments. However, they actually manage to do it without being tacky. I especially admired the way each dish is labeled with its national origin, which varies from China, Mongolia, Thailand, Korea, etc because it’s tempting to simply categorize the cuisine as simply “Asian.” Although the name of the restaurant is “Thai Thai,” the food itself is not strictly Thai.
For our dinner, we figured we would start with the Combo Appetizer, which was served with fried shrimp, crab pancakes and fried mixed fish dumplings. The shrimp was large and tasty, without being overly greasy. The dumplings were also quite delicious, even though I’m unsure what the filling consisted of. The crab pancakes, on the other hand, were too fishy. The Combo Appetizer is a good choice if you are three or four people because the quantity was too much for two.
For entrées, we ordered the Red Chicken Curry, Pineapple Fried Rice, and the Black Pepper Tenderloin. The Chicken Curry was served in a pleasant turquoise pot atop a small flame to keep it hot. With the amount of liquid the chicken swims in, the dish lies somewhere on the border between a heavy sauce and a soup. The chicken itself was of good quality and the sauce was nice and spicy without being overbearing. The Pineapple Fried Rice was served with shrimp and a variety of vegetables, but was lacking in the fried egg that I usually like. Furthermore, I did find the actual pineapple pieces to be cut a tad too small for my taste — I prefer to have bigger bits that I can really bite into. Although all the ingredients were there, it did seem to be lacking in something that would really bring out the combination of flavors, which may be the type of rice they used or the way they prepared it. The pepper tenderloin, on the other hand, was the highlight of our meal. The meat was of high quality, sliced thin and made with a nice tangy glaze. The addition of peppers and onions really brought everything together. It was all served atop a fried noodle basket, which acted as a visually appealing bedding and added a pleasant bit of flavor and texture to the dish. Although it was a bit difficult to break up at times, it certainly was delicious.
For dessert, I had the Cornstarch Balls with Jackfruit, not completely sure of what I would be getting. It was served in a bowl with a milky sort of mixture, and is eaten as one would eat cereal. Although it was pleasant, I could not help but think that this was something more appropriate for breakfast.
If there was one downside to my experience at “Thai Thai,” it would have to be our waiter. He seemed to be very bored and was extremely inattentive to our needs. My friend, however, who had eaten at the restaurant several times before, said that the service is usually much better. I suppose it was just my bad luck.
Beyond that, I must say that I had a delightful time at “Thai Thai”. The food was good, the ambience was extremely effective at being both classy and relaxing and there was no sense of pretension whatsoever. I easily see myself becoming a regular there. As I left, I felt both extremely full and more at peace with my inner-self. Although my tranquility quickly subsided as I hit Jeddah traffic, I thought to myself that I’m glad I had it and lost it than never to have had it at all.
