Family Thais

Sanook is my brother's kopitiam. He owns it with his friend Rivon, who also owns Surisit in Taman Tun Doctor Ismail. I have held off writing about Sanook because when I first tried the food I was a bit astonished that my brother would expect me not to be appalled at what I deemed was the dumbing down of the flavours that made Thai food phenomenal.

However, three changes of chefs later, Sanook has become a place I enjoy eating at, and to which I am happy to bring my friends to. The Thai kopitiam has recently started serving breakfast from 10.30am daily. It's really good, home style food too. I brought VK here a few weeks back and she loved the porridge, though I called Chris out on the fact that he advertised it as Thai style porridge (jok), but what he delivered was more the thick, Hokkien variety of congee as opposed to the Teochew Thai version where the grains are distinctly separate, and the liquid is clear. What Sanook serves is thick gruel which is really simple and hearty, with a runny egg and chicken. A steal for RM5.90 because the bowl is quite large.

Love the runny egg in the jok.

The Thai style lorbak (lightly marinated pork chunks wrapped in thin soybean sheets and fried), is a good, meaty breakfast accompaniment. The flavour is nicely balanced, without it being too sweet, nor too salty. The pork was also tender, despite the relative chunkiness of the meat. RM5 for two rolls was a pretty good investment.

The lorbak is worth pigging out on.

Another zesty breakfast is the Yum Ma Ma (instant noodle salad, RM5.90). This is a refreshing, though carby meal comprising of Thai instant noodles turned into a tom yum-like salad, with the tanginess of coriander, the crunch of carrots, fragrance of basil, and the tender bite of prawns.

Yummy Yum Ma Ma.

Pad Thai.

 If fried noodles are more your thing, try the Thai version of char kuey teow. The RM5.10 Pad Thai is comes with two large prawns and will pack quite a wallop if you mix in all the dried chilli flakes served on the side.

For lunch and dinner, try the Som Tam Talay (green papaya salad with seafood, RM10) is another winner. It is spiced just right, so you have that crazy chilli buzz and tingle, which just stops short of a heat-induced aneurysm, when your head feels like it is exploding because of the amount of capsaicin in a dish. This salad had a great balance of saltiness and sweetness, as well as the sharp zest of lime juice.

Tom Khai Kai.

 To me, Sanook offers the best version of the coconut tom yum soup. The Thais like it super spicy, to the point that it makes the ears ring. My sensitive sinuses cannot take that level of heat, and it embraces the happy medium of the hot, sour and creamy mix which is this particular tom yum. I also find it very affordable at RM8. This portion served three, with double helpings for two.

White is just right.

Sanook
13 Faber Plaza

Jalan Desa Jaya, Taman Desa

Off Old Klang Road 

Kuala Lumpur