I learnt not to ask for pandan chicken at Erawan Thai during my first visit to this cosy hideaway in Kota Damansara. Grandaunt took my parents and I here for dinner, and my dad’s request for pandan chicken got him the reply, “We don’t do pandan chicken here. It’s so ordinary.”

Cosy ambiance

Erawan however, serves a different kind of Thai-style chicken. I don’t quite remember what, but I remember not being that interested in trying. Besides, my grandaunt did most of the pre-ordering so I knew I was in good hands.

Prawn and pomelo salad

Thai fish cakes

Starters that night include Thai fish cakes, prawn pomelo salad and a very refreshing guava with fragrant prawn paste. All were good, but I enjoyed the guava best – simple yet packed a punch.

Guava with fragrant prawn paste

Cockles curry

The cockles curry was excellent. This was lovely with rice, as the cockles were justly cooked and luscious; the curry gravy was also thick and rich from the spices. Green curry chicken was not bad, although I would have preferred it thicker and spicier.

Good stuff!

Green curry chicken

Stir-fried kailan

Tom yum seafood

Erawan’s tom yum soup was an eye-opener. It was not only fiery, but also flavourful from the herbs, lemongrass and seafood. The stir-fried squid was lightly seasoned but perfectly tender and seemingly fresh. Plus the gravy was garlicky and full of umami.

Stir-fried squid

Deep fried fish with sweet chili sauce

Since my parents can’t take much spicy food, we skipped the Thai lemon fish and ordered the fried fish with sweet chili sauce instead. While the fish was crisply fried and moist on the inside, I would have liked more oomph in it. Something the sour and spicy Thai lemon fish can offer. Next time, I shall order that.

Thai iced coffee

The iced Thai coffee at Erawan was sweet, creamy and almost malted – such a treat! This was better than my mango sticky rice and grilled banana, both I found a tad ordinary.

Mango sticky rice

Grilled bananas

Dinner was slightly over RM530 for the four of us. Quite expensive, if you asked me. While the cockles curry and tom yum were stellar, the other dishes were above average.

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Ambiance: 6.5/10
Price: 4/10
Food: 7/10 (pork free)
Verdict: Pretty good food, but expect to pay a bit more too.

Erawan
22-1, Jalan PJU 5/16,
Dataran Sunway,
Kota Damansara,
47810, Petaling Jaya,
Selangor.
Tel: 03-6141 2393
GPS Coordinates: N 3 09.176, E 101 35.520