Back in Penang after a week in Phuket and am experiencing some mild withdrawal symptoms. So, off to have a Thai lunch today. We were at 3-month-old Thai Connection, occupying a dining space on 4 Jalan Sungai Kelian, which it shares with Sinkhek Peranakan Cuisine. They operate Mon to Thu, whilst the Sinkhek folks open Fri, Sat & Sun. How’s that for space-sharing?!
We started off with:
Pad kaprow kai (stir-fried chicken with basil) and khai jiao (Thai-style omelette)
It’s run by Supaporn “Wan” Fischer, who hails from Sa-kaeo, Thailand, and who used to run a very successful Thai restaurant in Quito, Ecuador, from 2014-2019.
She’d moved back to Ganz pre-COVID time with her Austrian husband, and continued to polish her cooking skills - this time by providing Thai food options in an Austrian tavern. Now, they live in Penang because of Herr Fischer’s work commitments.
Mains consist of:
Kaeng kaew wan kai - Thai green curry with chicken and small cubes of eggplant. In Thailand, pea eggplant (“ma khuea phuong”) is usually used for this dish, and not the normal eggplant (“ma khuea”). It’s a bit harder to procure pea eggplants in Penang, hence the substitution.
Pad Thai - the classic sweet-sour-savoury noodle stir-fry, done very well here!
Tom yum talay - spicy-sour seafood soup. This is the best rendition I’d tried in Penang - perfect balance of flavors!
Pad pak boong - stir-fried water spinach.
Desserts
Tub tim krob - these were pink-tinted “rubies” (tiny cubes of water-chestnut coated in tapioca flour & par-boiled) in sweetened coconut milk, served with thin strips of jackfruit.
Enjoyable lunch. If one just comes back from Thailand, then one will realise the renditions here are localised to suit the local Penang palate, and especially the Western ones, who comprise 70% of the clientele in this restaurant, and especially at the adjoining pub, Gusto, next to it. So, renditions here will have less fish sauce (nam pla), less chilis, less pungent spices or herbs, and even less sugar.
Address
Thai Connection
4, Jalan Sungai Kelian, 11200 Tanjung Bungah, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +6014-684 8932
Opening hours: 12noon-3pm, 6pm-9pm, Mon to Thu.
