Khunthai Thai Food Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

Malaysia Khuntai Thai Food Restaurant
Khunthai Thai Food Restaurant is one trendy restaurant located in Petaling Garden or Section 5 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Many people keep asking me about nice restaurants in PJ, well this is one of them.

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.

Khunthai Thai Food Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

Khunthai restaurant entrance
This restaurant was opened around 2005 in the area known to most PJ people as Section 5 or near Kavithas Indian Food in Petaling Garden.

Another good landmark would be the PJ Old Town Roundabout. Khunthai also means Thai People in the native language and has a branch in Butterworth, Penang and recently in Puchong.

The menu at Khuntai Restaurant in PJ
When I first went there in 2006, the place was pretty new, and there were not many people there. Those who came were curious, and Khuntai Thai Restaurant is now almost famous by word of mouth.

What kind of crowd goes there? Families, expatriates, companies, friends and even lovebirds. Best to go in a group of 4 or 6 people.

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.

Eventually, they made so much money and moved into a palace inside Kampung Melayu Sungai Buloh.

Anyway, Khuntai Thai Restaurant reminds me of that old place in Sungai Buloh. Nice ambience and great food.

Food to Order at Khunthai Restaurant PJ

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.

Thai Lemon Style Fish
The Thai lemon sauce fish at Khunthai
One of the must-try dishes at Khunthai Restaurant is the trendy Steamed Fish in a Thai Lemon Style sauce.

The owner claims that they use White Sea Bass instead of the normal type 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 sour side, you can just drink it as it is.

Charcoal fire warming for the fish

On a side note, the charcoal can be quite hot if 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.

Fish in Thai style with soup

Another plus point about the Fish in Thai Style sauce 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 fish's juices will get into the sauce, which makes this dish amazing.

After about 15 minutes, the soup tastes really great, and this is where you start to drink the soup by itself.

If you do not top it up, the fish will be sticking to the bottom of the dish, and you start to get the burnt smell.

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

Petaling Jaya Seafood Tom YumSeafood Tom Yum, everyone's favourite

The Seafood Tom Yum was also quite tasty, fresh and recommended. After all, you are in a Thai restaurant.

The dish came with an average portion of prawns, fish, and squid cooked in a traditional tom tumult aluminium pot.

According to my buddies, I am not a huge chilli lover, but this tom yum dish was much better than many other places.

Khunthai Nameless Chicken
Famous nameless chicken at Khunthai Restaurant
One of the quirky names on the menu was ordered, and this Thai style fried chicken was on the crunchy side and tasted really 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.

Chicken Lap Dish
Thai Chicken Laap, a popular dish here
Overall, all of the dishes were excellent, and there were no complaints. Why? Because of their variety and the items that you do not usually see on a Thai Menu.

Only one of the dishes was a tad disappointing: the Lap or Laap, which was not up to the Thai standards. 

I have tasted the real thing in Bangkok, Cambodia and also 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.

Bill for four person at Khunthai Restaurant PJ
Khunthai restaurant total bill for four persons
PJ Khunthai Thai RestaurantDiners 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 Khunthai Authentic Thai Restaurant;
6 Jalan 5/44,
Petaling Garden,
Off Jalan Gasing,
Petaling Jaya 46000
Selangor

Telephone: 03-7781 7523
Business Hours are: 11.00 am to 3.00 pm / 5.00 pm to 11.00 pm.

*Update 2017 - I am unsure if this restaurant is still operational. Best to call or check on Google. 

Conclusion

For those looking for some nice Thai food in PJ, there are a few restaurants available to suit your taste, and each person has their own individual preferences.

After living here in PJ for almost four decades, I have seen and tried many places while some have seized operations while many have lost their touch.

For the new generation food bloggers, you may have missed the good old days of pure dedication in the food industry, but modernization has changed the concept of eating nowadays.

For years I have been sourcing out distinguished places to eat, and Khunthai Thai Restaurant in Petaling Jaya is one of the rare ones. I am sure many of you will agree.

Malaysia Asia

Blogging since 2007, but writing online since 1997. I belong to the 1st generation of worldwide bloggers, which is of course old-school. Since 2008, I created Malaysia Asia and this travel, flood, gadget and lifestyle blog has won numerous physical awards from tourism boards around Malaysia. (Not those online awards). After 12 years of blogging, I have semi-retired and now blog about things I like, do product reviews and enjoy life. My work has been featured in Lonely Planet, CNN Travel, Yahoo Travel, Wall Street Journal, and many other international publications. Find out more about me and thank you.

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