Erawan at Dataran Sunway: Restaurant review

Fans of Thai food in KL can find succor in this fascinatingly adorned outlet, which features a plethora of recipes rarely available elsewhere.

Savoury treats

Egg net bundles packed with chicken, prawns & herbs, served with cucumber salsa. Supposedly a Siamese palace favorite in years of yore. Not bad, but more of a thrill for the eyes than the taste buds, since the stuffing wasn’t memorably tasty.

Pomelo & prawn salad. The prawns were meaty, but the whopping chunks of pomelo seemed a bit dry and bland. Perhaps a more piquant dressing might help.

Green curry with tenggiri fish paste filled with salted egg yolk. Addictive, even though the yolk’s savory flavor and textural impact were subtle. Most of these dishes must be pre-ordered, but that results in food that feels fabulously fresh.

Salmon wrapped in pandan leaves with sesame sauce. Sounded like an intriguing change from pandan chicken, but tasted like regular salmon, with very little pandan influence. Delicious enough, but not quite what we expected.

Cockle curry with betel leaves. This dish alone would make Erawan worth visiting. Creamy and flavorsome, packed with possibly a hundred succulent cockles.

Tamarind-glazed crispy-fried duck confit with shallots & chili. No complaints here; the meat was tender and tasty enough to recommend.

Desserts & drinks

Pumpkin custard with dark chocolate pudding & vanilla sauce. Not quite traditional Thai, but never mind. A pulpy pleasure for passionate pursuers of pumpkin. Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir, thanks to a mystery benefactor (thank you!).