Erawan

Erawan is tucked away in Kota Damansara and is named after the white elephant, a symbol of royalty. If you can see red doors which are hand-​carved intricately then you are at the right place. We arrived and the restaurant was packed to the rafters but luckily, we were able to get ourselves a table without any booking and by walking in! Anan runs the restaurant together with his step brother and the man behind Erawan’s kitchen, Chef Trakool Yodsuk or also known as Chef Korn whose grandmother used to cook in the Thai Royal Palace where his culinary influences and inspirations come from.
We started off with Miang Kam (RM38). Miang Kam is a dish which consists of betel leaves served with varieties of condiments (purple onion, fresh green or red chilli, ginger, garlic, lime, roasted peanuts and dry shrimps). Each bite was very good and had an aromatic taste with hint of freshness.
We also shared the tom yum soup, one of my favorites. First, you can choose to have tom yum with fresh river prawn (RM68-​RM120), Sea bass or Salmon (RM58-​RM89), Chicken or Mushroom (RM38-​RM58) and Prawn or Seafood (RM38−68). Next, choose between clear or thick soup. Last but not least, the level of spiciness from 1 to 3. Anan recommended Level 0.5 which was the entry level. My verdict? The tom yum soup is one of the best I have ever tasted but… it was very spicy for entry level spiciness, which is what tom yum should be. With each spoonful of tom yum going into your mouth and down your throat to your belly, you will be singing «This Girl is on Fire». If you love your chilli and have a good level of tolerance of spice, I dare you to go for 3 — not for the faint hearted.
Next up, was the prawn with special sauce (RM120) where the fresh river prawns are deep fried and topped with special sauce. The prawn with special sauce is one of Erawan’s classic and popular dishes — it was even featured on Food Network! The prawns were huge and they were fresh, the meat itself was juicy and tender. And also not forgetting, the special sauce which was full of flavour that you wish you could drink the sauce too! We also shared a boneless roasted duck curry (RM48), which comprises of sliced boneless roasted duck simmered with red curry sauce dressed with pineapple, cherry tomatoes, egg plants and green apple. The duck was tender and cooked to perfection and the red curry sauce was delicious and flavoursome with a hint of sweetness from the pineapple and green apple.
We had a serve of vegetables with spicy sauce (RM48) which consists of stir fried vegetables (choose from long bean, chayote, petai, paku) with home made spicy shrimp paste sauce and prawns. We had the paku (fern) instead. Anan told us the reason why the vegetables were separated from the spicy sauce was so that the dish could cater to all kinds of levels of spice tolerance; should you choose to dip the vegetables a little bit in the sauce or mix them entirely, it’s all up to you. But I must say that the spicy sauce is really spicy and will definitely give you a chilli kick — a nice complement with the fresh vegetables on the side.
A trip to a Thai restaurant is not complete without ordering the iconic Thub Tim Krob or Red Ruby Delight dessert (RM12). To this day, Chef Korn still squeezes coconut milk by hand and maintains the traditional way of using a scented candle for the coconut milk sauce and never buys ready-​made coconut milk. The Red Ruby dessert consists of water chestnut coated with tapioca flour, served with homemade coconut sauce and sliced jackfruit. I think this Erawan’s Red Ruby is one of the best that I have ever had. It was not too sweet, refreshing and perfect on the dot. We also shared a candied cassava (RM12) which is tapioca simmered with syrup until it absorbs and tender, topped with coconut cream. The candied cassava was lovely with a nice hint of sweetness which balances well with the coconut cream.
I can’t wait to be back in Erawan and it’s one of the best Thai food in KL or maybe that I have ever had. The food is authentic, flavoursome and fit for a king. The service is also very friendly and efficient. I left Erawan with a copy of Chef Korn’s cookbook, Thai @ Home, feeling inspired to cook some of his dishes at home and I am already looking forward to be back to Erawan try the Foie Gras Fried Rice!

Erawan is held in high regards and in my opinion, rightly so. Some may think that the pre order policy is a gimmick, to be perceived as very high end but that is not their intention. If I am not mistaken there is only one chef, Chef Korn that does all the cooking as such, a pretty demanding task. On the plus side, this means that ingredients are fresh and we dont have to waste time deciding on dishes at the restaurant.
As thus place is stricly pre order, I recommend dropping by on a special occasion. Which is precisely what I did. We celebrated a friend’s birthday here and they were so accommdating to our balloons and presents whuch took up alot of space.
We had many dishes but there a few that stood out. Among them was the roasred duck curry. Pretty unconventional but totally works. Great for everyone as it is not too spicy. Green curry was another favaurite. Though an old classic, the fresh ingredients and expert execution brought it to a new level. Overall food was sublime and rich which left us feeling full and satisfied. My only gripe as a poor peasant with no financial stability, it is hella expensive.

Erawan is hands down, the best Thai restaurant in KL. The quality of food here is unmatched, but it shows in the bill. The chef goes through some pretty painstaking methods to make sure every intricate detail is perfect — and ultimately, it pays off.
Everything I’ve eaten here was great, but one of the highlights was definitely the Alaskan king crab in red curry. The curry was delicate, but so, so flavourful at the same time. My dining partner and I were literally stumped for words and we had to fight each other off for the last bits. Portions are not family-​sized so bear in mind that when you order a curry, it may be for portioned for one.
The only gripe I have is the location. I don’t think Kota Damansara is a strategic location for a restaurant like Erawan, but it’s one of those elusive places you’ll take the lengths to drive to just for a good meal.

Asking me to review Erawan is like asking me to review heaven. Every single thing there is perfect. Plain omelette= perfect. Green Chicken Curry= perfect. Tom Yum Soup= perfect. White Rice= perfect. And oh… the thai milk tea is just… indescribable. Lovely, wonderful, amazing, whatever you want to call it. Even the service is excellent. The staff will come to your table and chat with you. When I first came, having no idea what was good and what wasn’t, I asked them to recommend. What they recommended is the reason why this is one of my favourite restaurants. Without any doubt, Erawan is a definite must-​go restaurant.

If you’re looking for a good place to eat Thai food — Erawan’s the place to go to. If you can’t take spicy food like green curry, you can request non-​spicy. I really liked the omelette, green curry with chicken and tom yam soup with rice and milk tea. The price is affordable and the restaurant is air-​conditioned. The price is affordable and the staff are very friendly and are good at recommending nice food.