Some hits, but mostly misses at BBQ Thai restaurant

The restaurant does a good job with their grilled selections – well-marinated meats and seafood are fresh and deliciously paired with their Thai dipping sauce. – The Malaysian Insider pic, October 12, 2015.BBQ Thai restaurant along Old Klang Road exudes a laidback, chill-out atmosphere perfect for that night out with friends, as the majority of its seating is placed in an outdoor space with only the sky and rows of lanterns overhead.

Diners also have a few air-conditioned private rooms with unique vintage decorations to pick from if they prefer the privacy.

Being a restaurant specialising in BBQ-style food, we had to try out their specialties from the grill and went with the Thai BBQ Pork Neck (RM28). The thin slices of pork were slightly sweet and wonderfully succulent, and eaten with the Thai dipping chilli sauce, it was easy to see why this is a favourite.

However, we would have preferred it if with more of a char to the outer part of the pork slices to give it a more smoky aroma.

In that aspect, the Thai BBQ Squid (RM33) did not disappoint. The pieces of chewy-but-tender squid were smoky and just slightly charred. It was delicious on its own, as the natural sweetness of the fresh squid really came through, but once again, the dipping sauce with its mixture of tamarind, sugar and chilli, really brought the whole dish up a notch.

You can’t go to a Thai restaurant and not have tomyam, so tomyam we did have and boy, was it a fiery, satisfying experience. The Tomyam Chicken Soup (RM17 for a small portion) was bursting with flavour and heat, and was good for 5 small bowls filled with chicken cubes and oyster mushrooms. The soup was a slighty cloudy sea of red, and it was perfect with white rice or even on its own, for thrill seekers.

The tomyam chicken soup had just the right amount of spicy 'kick' to it, and we finished up every last drop of the slightly creamy soup. – The Malaysian Insider pic, October 12, 2015.While we gave the above three dishes a double thumbs-up, everything else we had for the night was a let-down. We were recommended the white pomfret steamed fish (RM98) in spicy lime sauce,  and were expecting a steaming broth full of sourish, spicy kick but instead were met with a watered down  broth that lacked any real flavour apart from an overwhelming burst of lime. For RM98, the fish was pathetically tiny, and not enough even to serve 2 adults with normal appetites.

To add insult to injury, the steaming broth for this tiny, overpriced pomfret was tasteless. – The Malaysian Insider pic, October 12, 2015.We also had the Siakap steamed in soya sauce (RM50) which was a disappointment as the fish had the off-putting “muddy” smell of freshwater fish. We expected a robust salty-sweet flavour from the soy sauce but again, like the pomfret, we got a watery, tasteless soup.

The Green Curry Chicken (RM20) was creamy and sweet, but again, did not have the complexity we come to expect from Thai green curry.  Even the Paku-Pakis (fern shoots, RM13) was a disappointment, as the vegetables were skinny and limp, probably from being overcooked.

The setting is casual, relaxed and fun. BBQ Thai is a great place to hangout and have some nice grilled food, but it’s not the place to go if you’re looking for authentic Thai flavours. – The Malaysian Insider pic, October 12, 2015.For the price of the dishes at Thai BBQ, we definitely wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for some authentic Thai dining. But if you’re out for a night with your buddies and want a nice, relaxed place to hang out with some delicious BBQ finger foods, ala Bangkok street food, to go with your alcohol of choice, then this would be the spot to check out. – October 12, 2015.

Recommended: Grilled Squid, Tomyam Soup
What to avoid: Steam fish dishes

BBQ Thai | Add: 17, Lorong Jugra, Off Batu 3 ¼ Jalan Klang Lama, 58000 KL | Tel: 03-7981 9888 | Opening hours:  12noon – 11.00pm daily | GPS coordinates: 3.108626, 101.678814 | Non-halal

* All of The Malaysian Insider food reviews are incognito and reflect the personal opinions of our merry band of foodies. If you know of any restaurant serving awesome grub, share it with the rest of the world and drop us a line with details at [email protected].