Sawasdee-Ka in Erfurt

Erfurt has been blessed with an explosion of new restaurants and eateries. Not surprising seeing that food is, after all, a real necessity. What is a little surprising to me, and pleasantly so, is the sudden burst of Asian restaurants. Why this is, I have no idea. But I ain't complainin'. 

One of the newest restaurants to come on the scene is Chao Phraya Thai Kitchen - a full-on Thai restaurant and self-proclaimed as Erfurt's first Thai restaurant. This latter part is especially important to note - most Asian restaurants here are a fusion mix of East, South and South East dishes. 

For those less familiar with the differences: (Achtung: these are estimates of actual geographical boundaries)

East Asia refers to the regions of and surrounding China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan Macao, Mongolia and Korea.

South Asia would be the countries of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal, and the regions around it. Given its vast landscape, parts of India are also North Asia. 

South East Asia is the easiest to differentiate geographically, as these comprise of countries that are made up of islands. The main countries in this region are Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia.  

It is understandable that, for business purposes, an "Asian" restaurant would be selling dishes from all over these regions, and lump them together in one menu in order to satisfy the cravings of all. So when I heard that a new Thai restaurant, ergo one with a much more limited menu, was opening up in town, my curiosity was naturally piqued. 

Being a Thai restaurant, I made it a point to test out their version of Thailand's signature dish - the Tom Yum hotpot, and see how it matches up to the ones I've had in Bangkok. And prayed I won't be disappointed. 

I wasn't. In every sense. 

First, an authentic tom yum dish has a distinct smell. Note that I use the word "smell" and not "scent" or some other less suspicious synonym because real tom yum has got a mixed fish-and-minted herbs combo smell - one that may not sit well with everybody. It can definitely be overpowering, and if one isn't used to it, may be the one thing one dislikes about visiting any Thai place. Unfortunately, it isn't possible to have tom yum without this ... errr, "food perfume", or at least the tom yum would not be as good. I have indeed eaten at certain restaurants that do some form of tom yum without this extra sensory ingredient (presumably so as not to offend the faint-hearted) and while they were passable, they were really quite sad. 

Chao Phraya's hotpot soup has this point in full. It smells as a full-on tom yum dish should - fish, herbs, mint and spices, all rolled into one curling wisp of steam. For a lover of tom yum like me, this is a Godsend indeed. No half-baked tom yum for me here - thankfully. 

My second checkpoint for this hotpot was its offering of soup content. As all hotpots go, the ingredients that go into it are a full plate of vegetables, noodles, and meat and fish. The meat and fish plate had slices of salmon, squid, fish cakes, and fish and squid balls, along with tofu - all in generous portions. I am a big fan of businesses that give customers their money's worth, so Chao Phraya Thai Kitchen definitely gets my vote. 

The soup base arrived with a portable stove, essential for keeping the tom yum soup piping hot throughout the meal. The foundation of a good hotpot is its soup base. Since this one didn't disappoint my olfactory system, I had high hopes of a satisfying meal. 

As you can see, one of its soup contents is noodles. Personally though, I have to have rice in my tom yum meals, so I ordered a single serving of rice for myself. And with that, my Tom Yum hotpot was wonderfully and undeniably complete. 

Options-wise, the restaurant lived up to its name of providing a good hotpot outside of its Bangkok home. I was a bit skeptical at the beginning - after living here for more than six years, finding all the ingredients needed for one simple dish at home can be downright frustrating. So I prepared myself to accept 50% of differences in ingredients because we are, after all, some distance away from Thailand. 

I was impressed. Chao Phraya's Tom Yum hotpot has an easy 85% to 90% of the original ingredients. I saw the lemongrass stalks and kaffir lime leaves, and my skepticism was somewhat abated. These guys know their Tom Yum. Naturally, the flavours didn't disappoint. It was full and the mixed taste of fish and herbs, combined with the after-bite of a typical tom yum base was just right. 

The servings for the hotpot ingredients are indeed generous. On the menu, it said it would serve 2 - 3 persons - there were four of us adults, and we left the restaurant happily full. 

I should give a fair warning, though. As a dish, a Tom Yum hotpot is not for those who want a mild soup dish. Even a mild Tom Yum hotpot isn't mild by average German standards, many would say it is hot and spicy. If you're a spicy food lover, this is for you to test. If not, there are other dishes on their menu to try out. 

One of these, and now my favourite here, is the pandan-wrapped chicken. 

The chicken pieces are marinated and then wrapped in pandan leaves, to be cooked together. The leaves keep the flavours and juices trapped in while releasing that delicious pandan scent into the meat as one bites into it. The chicken meat itself was tender and juicy, and such a joy to bite into. A note to the uninitiated: chicken dishes in Asian food often do not come in fillet pieces, so some pieces do have some bones, depending on which part of the chicken they are. In Asian cooking, keeping the meats with their bones helps maintain their full flavour and prevents meats from drying out while being cooked. 

Combined with the slightly peppery seasoning of the meats, absolutely heavenly is the word I will use for it. It comes with a side of salad and a sweetish sauce that seems to be made up of a mix of oyster sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil with a smattering of peanut scrapings.  You may, of course, have the chicken and salad without dipping in the sauce (I did!), and still have your palate satisfied. 

In my opinion, the dish doesn't need the salad side, because it is normally eaten with rice and the salad wouldn't be the best accompaniment to rice. However, I do understand this slight alteration to the way it is served, as locals here may not necessarily order the rice (although that is a pity, because rice is the one thing that holds everything together, really!). 

And if rice is indeed your jam, go ahead and order another Thai signature dish - Pineapple Fried Rice, and yes, served as it is in Bangkok, in a halved-pineapple. If a  visual image could heal illnesses, this should be served in all hospitals here. 

So, my last gastronomical adventure was a success. At least for my palate that craves flavours with lots of oomph and kick. I have been there twice now, and am planning for a few more trips before I can safely say that I will move on to another adventure because, yes, it's that good to me. 

More details of their menu and offerings here. If you're looking for a different type of menu, this is a Must-Be-Here in Erfurt. 

If you're already navigating your way over, here's the address: 

Neuwerkstraße 47a

99084 Erfurt 

A real Sawasdee-ka you can finally find in Erfurt.