We started with Too Mun Pla, (“Run Away Fish”), shallow fried fish cakes made from haddock. This being a Thai restaurant, the lack of much chilli burn left my palate feeling a bit hard done by. Then we had Song Gleur Jeur (“Two Friends Meeting”), sweet potato and taro 'cakes'. What were billed as 'cakes' turned out to be deep-fried pieces of taro and sweet potato. Now, I've nothing at all against deep frying, but cakes are probably - ought to be - more interesting, and this seemed like a case of not what we were promised. Not that they were bad per se, they were at least acceptable pieces of Thai tempura. Taro, being quite bland, takes on the flavours of sauces well; here, it went well with the chilli dip.
Curry next – the big test. One green, one red. Gaeng Phet was the red curry, which we had with beef, and Gaeng Keow Wan was the green, with chicken. The Gaeng Phet was frankly disappointing – the beef was tough, and the vegetables were still a bit crunchy. Crunchy vegetables are lovely in the right context, but not in a supposedly slow-cooked curry. The aubergine in particular still tasted of the oil it had been (quickly) cooked in, and hadn’t yet taken on any of the curry flavour. The Gaeng Keow Wan was a little better, in that chicken can take on flavours more quickly, but it still hadn’t been in the curry for a long time. While the green was a little hotter, neither really had very much heat – they both felt like very Westernised curries. Neither were particularly good, and as Thai restaurants go, Dusit is expensive. We didn’t feel like desserts; they seem to be of the bought-in variety.
The food at Dusit disappointed us, especially considering the price. Everything else was fine; the staff were charming, and the dining room is a beautiful place to sit. It’s a surprisingly dressy restaurant. But we’ve had better Thai curry for less money a few blocks away at Ruan Siam.
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