Namprik
1 Mar 2012
It’s official. Namprik has ruined all other Thai restaurants for me. After tasting authentic and I do mean authentic Thai food at Namprik, I’ll be hard pressed to find anything that would come close in comparison.
Serving a variety of pork-free Thai dishes, the fairly new restaurant has been operating at a brisk pace for a few months now in Taman Tun Dr Ismail.
The name Namprik is a Thai general term used to describe a spicy taste which is prepared in a variety of ways, equivalent to what Malaysians would commonly refer to as sambal. The interior is well lit, simple but inviting and accented using Thai knick-knacks and paraphernalia.
On a table to the left as one enters the restaurant, bottles of specially imported Thai drinks sit neatly in rows, including pygmy sized bottles of Coca-Cola.
After a good twenty minutes of flipping the menu back and forth, my dinner companion and I came to a decision. The first of which was the Namprik Tau Jiew Lon. It seemed like a logical choice to sample the dish the restaurant is named after.
From the various types of nampriks, Namprik Tau Jiew Lon came recommended by the staff. The namprik itself is made from Thai soya bean and coconut milk chicken, garnished with coriander and chili, but surprisingly not very spicy at all.
Served alongside a bed of long beans, cucumber, cabbage, Thai brinjal and fish, one can opt to enjoy the namprik as a dip for the vegetables and fish or as a condiment with rice. Either way, it is a delicious, rich and savoury accompaniment to your meal.
Any trip to a Thai restaurant seems incomplete to me without some tom yam. A popular soup in Malaysia, it’s sometimes hard to find good tom yams from the sea of mediocre tom yams out there. But at the risk of overselling it (though that ship has probably already sailed), I have no qualms about declaring the Tom Yam Thalay of Namprik as the best tom yam I have ever tasted.
At Namprik, one has the choice of the clear tom yam broth or the more common red tom yam which utilises chili paste for its color and spiciness. The degree of spiciness can be adjusted for both types; milder for those with delicate taste buds and spicier for gluttons of tongue-numbing punishment.
The Tom Yam Thalay I chose was the clear variant, a broth with a good balance of sour and spicy, tastes which are emblematic of the Thai cuisine. The soup also comes with generous portions of seafood like squid, fish and prawns. Served in a flaming hot pot, this soup is a definite must try at Namprik.
Lastly, I’d like to make a noteworthy mention of the fresh Thai coconut and lychee juice that the restaurant serves. A seemingly odd combination at first glance, the drink is actually one of Namprik’s best sellers and I could see why. A perfect thirst quencher to quell the fires on your tongue after a spicy meal.
Essentially, the dining experience at Namprik was an enjoyable one and any gripes would not be enough to detract from the overall positive experience of Namprik.
Details
Address: 50 Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 1, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 KL
Telephone: 03 - 7732 4342
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