Khuntai Thai Food Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

Khuntai Thai Food Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

Khuntai Thai Food Restaurant - Great ambiance

Khuntai Thai Food Restaurant is one very popular restaurant located in Petaling Garden or Section 5 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Now, before I go on I would like to stress that I grew up in Petaling Gardens or Section 5 since 1971. So what has come and gone in this little section of P.J has always been in the back of my mind.

Khuntai Restaurant was opened almost 4 years ago in the area known to most PJ people as Section 5 or near Kavithas Indian Food. Another good landmark would be the Old Town Roundabout. Khuntai also means Thai People in the native language and has a branch in Butterworth, Penang.

Khuntai Thai Restaurant - The menu

When I first went there in 2007, the place was pretty new and there were not many people there. Those who came were the curious and Khuntai Thai Restaurant is now almost famous by word of mouth mainly. What kind of crowd goes there? Families, expatriates, companies, friends and even lovebirds. Best to go in a group of 4 or 6 people.

Khuntai Thai Restaurant - The main entrance

So, what makes Khuntai Thai Restaurant so special? Seriously, the food is pretty good compared to the many other Thai restaurants. If you are a real Thai Food junkie, you would remember that one place many many years ago inside Sungai Buloh where it was really excellent Thai food, they made so much money, they moved into a palace inside Kampung Melayu Sungai Buloh? Anyway, Khuntai Thai Restaurant reminds me of that old place in Sungai Buloh. Nice ambiance and great food.

Khuntai Thai Restaurant - Unique Kedondong drink

To start the ball rolling, you should order the Kedondong (Ambarella) Juice with Sour Plum. This is served in a plastic jug with whiskey glasses. Something different and really nice if you like the mixture. Well, most Malaysians love it. If not they have other drinks available from juices to beer.

Khuntai Thai Restaurant - Thai Style Fish

One of the must try dishes at Khuntai Restaurant is the Steamed Fish in a Thai Lemon Style. The owner claims that they use a White Sea Bass instead of the normal type which most restaurants use as the white sea bass does not produce that fishy smell. What makes this dish special is that the steamed fish is served over a charcoal fire in a little stone stove. The sauce that comes along with the fish is one of the best sauces I have tasted. On the sourly side, you can just drink it as it is.

Khuntai Thai Restaurant - Charcoal fire warming for the fish

On a side note, the charcoal can be quite hot if it is placed next to you so it would be advised to place it away from the diners. Unless of course you are feeling cold and need some warmth.

Khuntai Thai Restaurant - Fish in Thai style with soup

Another plus point about the Fish in Thai Style is that the special soup can be refilled at any time. Just ask any of the waiters and they will top it up. As the fish slowly cooks over the charcoal fire, the juices of the fish will get into the soup. After about 15 minutes, the soup taste really great and this is where you start to drink the soup by it self. If you do not top it up, the fish will end up sticking to the bottom of the dish and you start to get the burnt smell.

Khuntai Thai Restaurant - Thai prawn cakes deep friend with batter

One of the dishes that tasted quite good was the Thai Prawn Cakes. Strangely they did not have the common Thai Fish Cakes. I wonder why. Maybe next time around, I will ask them.

Khuntai Thai Restaurant - Seafood Tom Yum, every one's favourite

The Seafood Tom Yum was also quite tasty and fresh. An average portioning of prawns, fish and squid is included. Not that I am a chili lover but according to my buddies, it was much better than many other places.

Khuntai Thai Restaurant - Nameless Chicken

Thai style fried chicken, was on the crunchy side and tasted good. In the checkout bill, this dish is called 'Nameless Chicken'. I guess the owner and cook could not decide on what to call it.

Khuntai Thai Restaurant - Chicken Lap

Overall, all of the dishes were excellent and there were no complaints. Why? Because of the variety they had there and also the items that you do not usually see on a Thai Menu. Only one of the dishes was a tad disappointing which was the Lap or Laap. I have tasted the real thing in Bangkok, Cambodia and also in Laos. What we are having here is nothing close to what you get there. Put it this way, if you go to the UK and order Chicken Rice, it sure ain't gonna taste like what you get at home here.

Our bill for 4 people came with a total of RM114.00

Diners at Khuntai Thai Restaurant

Finally I would recommend you go either before the peak crowd or after it. If you go during lunch or dinner, you may have to wait it out a little. But the service is overall quite acceptable and fast.

Address to Khuntai Restaurant is;

6 Jalan 5/44,
Petaling Garden,
Off Jalan Gasing,
Petaling Jaya 46000
Selangor

Telephone: 03-7781 7523

Business Hours are: 11-3pm /5-11pm

Map to Khuntai Restaurant in PJ

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