Hayes dines with the professor at Thai on 4 and fish is dominating proceedings.

Text by Kelvin Hayes

It was somewhat ironic at the time of mass flooding in Bangkok to be dining at a hotel called the Watergate. Thai on 4 is one of seven eateries housed within, an elegant restaurant, yet one hosting a more informal clientèle. On the night I visited it was fairly quiet, which gave it an intimate feel, save for the rapid succession of meals thrown at me.

It started off tranquil enough with not one but two smoothies. I opted for Relaxant, a subtle blend of yoghurt, apple and lime, however, I was told to try Free My Mind for its Thai-authentic combination of apple, lemongrass, honey and lime. When it arrived it looked like salad dressing in a glass with its tangerine colour and the flecked pieces of red apple skin peppering it. From here on in, the evening was an intoxicating blur, a gastronomic version of the chaotic city outside. It was already an odd evening as I found myself unexpectedly dining with two guests, one of whom, a professor, was guiding proceedings with her take on the menu, and her take is fish…lots of fish.

We began with tod mun saung sahai, a fish-cake with sweet plum sauce. As a man with sweet tooth syndrome this was a good choice and perhaps one of the tastiest appetisers and best bites of the night. On the next platter were the somewhat quaint and particularly oriental sho muang, small purple balls with a similar texture to pasta that are eaten all in one go and having a taste that is as foreign to the palate as their look is to the eye. Supposedly they’re filled with onion and chicken but the flavour seems like neither. They are difficult to describe, especially with plate after plate arriving at light speed. Next up was a spicy and typically-Thai salad comprising river prawns, ginger, cashews and mint. Salads are not really my thing, and I am not a big fan of spicy, so this was never likely to be a winner as far as my taste buds were concerned. So avoiding the chili I simply ate the cashews.

The main dish took the form of a traditional Thai curry and this too was one of the evening’s highlights. With a moniker fit for a Cuban gangster, chu chi pla hima, is itself a much better proposition. Centred around a pan-fried snowfish it’s garnished with red curry sauce, coconut milk and palm sugar and complemented with four types of rice; white, saffron, pandan and black. My evening at Thai on 4 concluded with the all-round favourite mango and sticky rice. No complaints there except I think it would have worked better with plain or saffron rice, but who am I to suggest such a thing?

To round off there’s a ‘unique and uncommon’ tea courtesy of Harney and Sons Pomegranate and Oolong. A subtle-sweet blend not dissimilar to the plum sauce that perfectly brings things full circle.

Thai on 4
Amari Watergate
847 Petchburi Road
Bangkok, Thailand
+66 2653 9000
www.amari.com

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