Khing Thai Kurumba Maldives @ A Flavor From Thailand

You may not have thought of having Thai food in the middle of the Indian Ocean, but Khing Thai in Kurumba Maldives will possibly offer you a change of your taste buds instead of the expected Oceanic or islanders’ cuisine. mylifestylenews writes.

 

Indeed, when you travel as far as the Maldives, Thai food for dinner may not be your priority as most resorts will only dominate the more traditional and safe gastronomy to cater for their global and international travelers.

Tucked away in the middle of the Kurumba Island and surrounded by frangipani trees with decorative lights, the path ways lead to Khing Thai restaurant. The restaurant is dimmed with reddish hue and tone to create a cozy atmosphere with traditional Thai arts and wooden paintings. We were seated by the glass wall that is full of various species of hanging orchids with a calm and serene motif as well as adding a different mood to the restaurant.

While waiting for our host Christine, we started with some fresh coconut juice which is served in a whole coconut in shape. Despite the entire Kurumba Island is being full of coconut trees, still do not expect the same flavor of coconut juice from Thailand that comes with a hint of the genuine no sugar added pandan flavor, as it is simply a different sort and breed.

Traditional Thai wooden paintings are seen at every corner in Khing Thai

The menu is quite extensive, so we dived in to the Tom Yum Goong to open our appetite with this traditional Thai hot and spicy sour soup simmered with mushrooms, lemongrass, chili, coriander as our starter. The color looks right, the amount of ingredients used in making the Tom Yum was well balanced and the soup came with moderate heat despite we requested for the Khun Thai flavor (local Thai standard of flavor).

Christine suggested the Popiah Tod – small pieces of crispy fried spring rolls with vegetables served with a spicy (a rather sweet) Thai Chili sauce. Usually when comes to ordering Thai food, this is the dish that we try to always avoid as it is mainly catering for a less adventurous diner or a beginner to sample Thai food in a very safe way.

We picked the Yum Mamuang instead. This Thai green mango salad with red onions, spring onion, coriander, toasted cashew nuts tossed in a spicy chili dressing is refreshing and the mango is always less soggy with the right kind of bite.

When you are by the sea, you ought to order the fish. Pla Nueng Ma Nao is the classic Thai favorite and always is our must-order when it comes to Thai dinner. Garlic, chili, lime juice with a dash of fish sauce and garnished with fresh coriander are the soul of this dish. Maldivian sea bass is used here and unfortunately it was filleted when served and hence, once again this is catered mainly for their international guests, instead of the entire fish being served with the head and bones on. The dish was lacking an intensity of flavor and authenticity which was slightly disappointing. 

We moved on to Geang Massaman, the Thai massaman curry with coconut milk, and potatoes. The texture is rich and yet still lacking of a kick and the aroma from the curry didn’t seem to give the right palette. Yet, it is still a good dish to accompany with steamed rice.

Chu Chi Goong is a must order in Khing Thai. The giant tiger prawns are served in a rich red curry sauce with coconut milk which is tasty. Prawns are a fresh catch from the Maldivian sea and deserve a big bite in the mouth.

We wound up the dinner with Pad Thai Seafood. This famous stir fried rice noodle dish with tamarind sauce, eggs and crushed peanuts is another Thais classic street food that extends to the dining table.  The presentation was up to par yet lacking of the tamarind juice which had lost its soul on a good Phad Thai. With no other condiments like sugar, chili flakes, vinegar, bean sprout and chive to accompany, this Phad Thai dish unfortunately didn’t serve up to its usual standard.

Despite the entire kitchen and service team originating from Thailand which ought to bring the best authenticity of Thai flavors to the table, Khing Thai is still a hit and miss but the attentive service is worth mentioning.

Tried & Tested:

Location: 5/5

Design & Decor: 3.5/5

Food & Beverage: 3/5

Service: 4/5

Value For Money: 3.5/5

Experience: 4/5

Khing Thai Kurumba Maldives

Vihamanaafushi, 08340
Republic of Maldives
Tel: +960 664 2324

  

Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated.