Thai at its best. Review on Thai Pavillion, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai

The Thai Pavillion at the Taj President was started in the 90's. Its creator, Executive Chef Ananda Solomon, an unassuming & simple man has created a masterpiece of a restaurant. He has been able to do this by living in Thailand for several months at a time & familiarizing himself with 'real home cooked food' served in local homes. Not only has there been an extraordinary amount of time & reseach invested into the food, he has ensured that authentic thai herbs are used in the preparation of the food. Even the sauces which are excellent are personally supervised by him. Although the ambience is average, both the food & the service are outstanding & therefore adequately compansate the lack of a good ambience.

Some of their star dishes are: `Som tam - raw papaya salad `Chicken fried in pandanus leaves `chicken satay with peanut sauce `Ped noy - roast duck in a thai gravy `Pla Rad Prik - fried pomfret in a thai gravy `Prawn in Oyster sauce `Flat noodles with ground chicken `Pad Thai - noodles with vegetables or meat wrapped inside a wafer thin omlette `Prawns with garlic & pepper `Both the green & red curries & lots more...... The restaurant does require a reservation, especially on a weekend. The portions are a resonably good size. They also offer set meals for dinner which include a soup, salad, starter, maincourse & dessert. There is both, a vegetarian & non-vegetarian option for those wanting to try a little variety. For lunch too there are mini set meals which are quite filling & one dish meals for those who wish.

The service is extremely quick & efficient - too quick sometimes. You will rarely be kept waiting for your food here. Please not that Thai food can be quite spicy, so if you can't take very spicy food do inform them & they will prepare your dishes accordingly. Although there is a full bar, in my opinion Thai food if too highly spiced to enjoy any alcoholic beverages with it so if you must have something, have an aperitif before you start your meal. The pricing is reasonable for 5 star standards. Very , very much worth a try - The Thai Pavillion is Thai at its best!