Douglas Dragons at Dark
March 25th, 2024
Visiting two very different suburban Thai eateries that started operating without fanfare this year, beginning with Dok Bua, a sedately casual and stubbornly frills-free destination in Ara Damansara.
Pork’s our pleasure here, clocking in at reasonable prices: A serving of ‘moo pa lo’ (meat & egg stewed with five spices) that two can share costs RM10.
Kinda like a Thai cross between tau yew bak and bak kut teh. Could be more richly aromatic, but it’s fine for what it is. Enjoy with steamed white rice.
Also worthwhile at Dok Bua, which seems to be run mainly by Thai men: Roasted glass noodles, hearty with a choice of either pork or shrimp (RM10) …
… plus a nicely mild Panang pork curry (RM12) that could nevertheless be creamier with more coconut milk, but now we’re simply nitpicking.
Chang beer is the best that liquor lovers can hope to do at Dok Bua.
Dok Bua Thai Cafe,
115-G, Jalan PJU 1A/41B, Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya. On a shop-house street near NZX.
Find Dok Bua Thai Cafe’s directory listing here.
Next up, Thai Grill, a more upmarket stop, nestled in what seems to be the basement of the Tropicana Golf and Country Resort’s clubhouse.
Start with chicken feet salad, filled with gelatinous goodness (bone-free, mercifully), tossed with tomatoes, onions, chili and lime juice.
Crispy-fried skewered turkey (!), a satisfactory treat with thick Thai chili sauce.
Steamed mussels, always a pleasure if they’re as fresh as the ones available here.
“Hor mok,” the seafood custard-souffle that we can never resist ordering.
Salt-cooked freshwater fish, a little bit muddy-tasting but reliably fleshy.
Thai Grill serves no pork but makes up for that with wine.