langkawi magazine
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Mystic Mangrove Dining
Memorable dining experiences aren"t just about delectable cuisine, good company and a nice ambience. It"s also about `walking` that extra mile to get to your destination. At Barn Thai Langkawi, you have to literally amble on a 450m long winding boardwalk to have your appetite satiated.
Smack in the heart of a mangrove forest, Barn Thai sits discreetly in Kuala Kisap, northeast of Pulau Langkawi. A well-known tourist attraction, the Thai restaurant garnered good reviews when it first flung its doors open in 1993.
The restaurant"s concept was Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad"s idea, which was in turn inspired by his river cruise to a restaurant set on a marshland near an ancient Turkish town.
YTL Corporation Bhd took on the mammoth task of constructing the timber structure, opening the restaurant within 65 days, in time for LIMA ‘93. Built, minus bulldozers and machinery to preserve the pristine environment, Barn Thai was nominated for the world-prestigious Aga Khan Award for architectural design excellence.
On a balmy evening, my friend Dharma and I drove up to the entrance of the walkway to check out this mangrove dining experience. The restaurant provides free shuttle service from all hotels in Langkawi except The Datai and Andaman Resort. Customers can also opt for a scenic boat ride to Barn Thai from the Tanjung Rhu jetty.
A 10-minute stroll flanked by majestic trees with gnarled and claw-like roots took us to a rustic timber building in the heart of the forest. Old-fashioned hurricane lamps illuminated the path, and strategically placed spotlights lit up the trees. If you visit during the day, say some friends, you"re likely to see colourful miniature crabs and mudskippers frolicking in the swamp or eagles soaring above the forest.
Tall ceilings with tree-trunk columns, a skylight in the middle of the dining hall and weathered teak furniture lend the décor an earthy feel. Just my kind of place, I made a mental note.
It took us a while to look through the extensive menu listing of typically Thai dishes. We picked the Seafood Salad , Tod Mun Pla (Deep-fried Fish Cake) and Som Tam (Papaya Salad) as starters.
The Seafood Salad had large succulent prawns, squid and pieces of fish sprinkled with sliced onions, fresh cilantro, tomatoes and green onions sitting on a bed of lettuce. A sweet/sour/spicy sauce drizzled over the salad lent a refreshing taste. But the deep-fried fish fillet was a little soggy after sitting in the sauce too long.
The Fish Cake - minced fish paste mixed with chopped cilantro, kaffir lime leaves, red curry paste and thinly sliced long beans - was deep-fried a nice brown. I loved the distinct taste of the herbs but we thought the texture of the cake was a little tough.
A project by YTL Corporation Bhd, Barn Thai was built in 65 days, in time for LIMA `93. The idea for a restaurant in the mangroves came from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Whenever I visit a Thai restaurant, I never fail to order the Papaya Salad. And the best som tam I"ve had was the 50 sen plate I got at Chatuchak market in Bangkok or the one made by my Thai friend"s mother.
At Barn Thai, the shredded green papaya had a nice crunchy texture but the sauce was a big letdown. The typical ingredients in the sauce - cili padi, palm sugar, fish sauce, lime juice or tamarind juice - are supposed to titillate the taste buds. But the som tam tasted quite bland that night.
Unfortunately, there wasn"t an `appetiser` portion in the menu. To leave room for the main entrée, we couldn"t finish our starters. Our Seafood Tom Yam had generous chunks of fish and prawns. Its mix of galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass and chillies lent a nice fragrance, with a touch of zesty lime. I like my tom yam a tad spicier though.
We ordered the Fish Fillet with Basil for one reason. I love the piquant smell and flavour of Thai (sweet) basil or the holy basil. The fish fillet, coated with batter and deep-fried, was drizzled with a generous helping of tomato-based sauce with fresh holy basil. The sharp herb flavour spiced up the sweet and sour sauce.
Dharma picked Aromatic Crispy Prawns. Marinated with five-spice, pepper and a sprinkle of sesame oil, the prawns were fried to crispy perfection and wasn"t greasy. But he thought the prawn dish wasn"t too impressive. `It"s an ‘all right" dish,` Dharma quipped.
Barn Thai"s desserts come in a display of rainbow-coloured, delicate-looking local kuih and jellies sitting on pretty ceramic plates on a dessert trolley. Each plate comes with six bite-sized pieces of kuih. If you are tempted to try an assortment, you may have to forget the idea lest you want to waste food. Since we were quite stuffed, we had the Tab Thim Krob (crunchy water chestnuts with coconut milk) and the Corn Custard.
Overall, Barn Thai"s cuisine fell short of piquing our taste buds. But its unique, natural setting and relaxing ambience more than made up for the food. And it was certainly worth a pleasant saunter for the mangrove dining experience.
Langkawi 16/11/2002
