Rated: Good
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May 31, 2008
Thai me up
Thai Pavilion exceeds where we would expect it to exceed being a Taj associated restaurant - ambiance, service, style, and oomph. The renovated jewel of a place has a few focal points of its newfound ambiance: what I assumed to be Thai wooden carvings on all the walls, a barstool eating section adorned with small clay pots hanging from the ceiling; and a fancy see-through, visible wine cellar right as you walk in.
The food was solid. I wouldn't say that it was amazingly authentic Thai food, but they have an impressive spread of dishes. From the usual suspects, such as Som Tam (raw papaya salad), the coconut based curries (Red, Green, Yellow) and Pad Thai Noodles; to the more exotic dishes, such as a Foie Gras with Mango Puree, to a Steamed Sea Bass wrapped in Rice Noodles, Red Snapper with a Red Curry Paste, Soft Shell Crabs with Pomelo fruit, etc.
The service was the high-point of the night. Our waiter was a sweet gentleman by the name of Joe. He made great recommendations and generally ensured a very pleasant night for us. Our last order of the night was a shot espresso, which I usually expect with either a piece of lemon rind, or a shot of cold water with a lemon rind in it. I made sure to ask him to bring either out while ordering the espresso, but this was clearly a never-heard request from Joe. He not only happily obliged and delivered, but he actually asked us where this was traditionally done, why it was done, and whether they should consider doing it for all espresso shot orders. That was quite amazing to me - real time feedback being absorbed by the restaurant service staff.
This is a Taj restaurant, so 'nuff said regarding prices.
Kudos to Thai Pavilion for perhaps the best attempt at authentic Thai. Their stiffest competition interestingly enough probably comes from Seven Spices, the Thai joint inside the Park Plaza Hotel in the Royal Palms property in Goregaon (E).
