Eat Drink KL: Dok Bua @ Ara Damansara & Thai Grill @ Tropicana Golf

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Dok Bua @ Ara Damansara & Thai Grill @ Tropicana Golf

Visiting two very different suburban Thai eateries that started operating without fanfare this year, beginning with Dok Bua, a sedately casual & 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 & 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.

Next up, Thai Grill, a more upmarket stop, nestled in what seems to be the basement of the Tropicana Golf & Country Resort's clubhouse.

Start with chicken feet salad, filled with gelatinous goodness (bone-free, mercifully), tossed with tomatoes, onions, chili & 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.

Dok Bua Thai Cafe,
115-G, Jalan PJU 1A/41B, Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya. On a shop-house street near NZX.
Thai Grill,
Palms Wing, Tropicana Golf & Country Resort Clubhouse.
Both outlets are supposed to open daily for lunch & dinner.

The Oct.-Dec. inaugural edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites is now available in an eBook for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones. It comprises reviews & information for 100 pretty nice eateries that span various locations, cuisines & budgets.
Please click here: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Oct-Dec-2013
This link expires Dec. 31, 2013; see blog entries after that date for new link.