Best Food In China

Location

The evening was a cool relaxing evening served with quality mildly spicy food at a reasonable price.
Purple Haze Thai Restaurant is a tucked away Workers Stadium area establishment that is guaranteed to be busy every night. True to its namesake, the purple décor surrounds diners in a cozy yet chic motif, providing a much needed sanctuary to fall into large plush chairs yet still feel trendy and ‘seen’.

Purple Thai offers a variety of sweet and mild cocktails to counter the spicy Thai food, and has a strong selection of wines including 35rmb a glass house wines from Australia and Chile. One can even have a large coconut to drink.

The menu also has an almost overwhelming variety of dishes, from innovative fusion dishes, to traditional Thai dishes with each having simply the slightest variations. Including the essentials from Thailand, it is hard press to find a bad dish at Purple Thai, which is rather surprising. Purple Thai’s owners and founders are a Hong Kong native and a Swede. Now, Swedes can’t eat spicy food for…well peanuts. Yet, these two owners have managed, from working from the ground up, to bring authentic Thai food. Visiting Thailand once a year to brush up on their culinary prowess, they have managed to turn this small, neighborhood restaurant into a popular ex-pat joint.

That isn’t to say, that they don’t experiment. Twists can be found on Thai dishes, that some conservative diners won’t want to try, and with that in mind, we showcase some of the traditional dishes you can indulge in:

The Tom Yum Soup was spicy and sour with lemongrass and kaffir lime and prawns. It was an authentic Thai hot and sour soup with distinct hot and sour flavors that included fragrant herbs generously used. The basic broth was made of stock and fresh plump ingredients and was a potent combination of herbs and spices.
The Green Curry Chicken was a recommendation and favorite of the owner, and was a savory chicken dish with Thai green curry paste. It was filled with unique flavors; it was a milder but not bland paste, with herbal notes that fused well with the chunks of tender chicken simmered with healthy vegetables.

The Papaya Salad was a fresh green colorful salad with a mild lashing of sweet sour and spicy. Its taste and smell was indicative of the traditional and popular Thai salad.

The Shrimp Cakes were a guilty treat. Deep fried in a fabulous, crisp batter, the shrimp were fresh and easy to sink one’s teeth into. The plum sauce added a touch of sweetness to the golden shrimp cakes.

The Grilled Fish was a ‘divine’ favorite of the owner, and had a smooth, delicate texture, though slightly too dry. The sauce saved the dog fish though, with a sweet tomato sauce.

One of the best was the Coconut curry vegetables. – An exotic dish that blended the exciting flavors of ginger and chili paste with fresh vegetables in a creamy coconut milk base. With a rich, creamy texture and flavor, it was a mild delight and hard to put down.

On hand were English speaking wait staff to serve large fluffy white rice out of large metal bowls.
Currently, it is the 5 year of anniversary of Purple Thai, and they have a special gift for guests during the month. A free dessert or drink, this particular night it was a dessert. Presented was a bowl of warm milk-pudding. Surprisingly, it was delicious. A warm coconut milk with jelly balls, it was a nice calm ending to the meal.

The evening was a cool relaxing evening served with quality mildly spicy food at a reasonable price. For those craving spicy, hot food, try the red curries and the seafood and minced meat stir fried with basil and chili.

The owners have done the job providing a venue for guests to indulge in both business and pleasure. Perfect for lunch or dinner to waist the day in, and great to take a romantic date on with its dimply lit rooms and purple and yellow motif, it isn’t surprising that every night is busy. It is one of the few places that successfully capture both types of dining.

-- by Larissa Paschyn

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