Thai is no longer the same, oh yeah, champignons have sneaked into tom yam and – how terrible! – there sometimes can be just one orphan shrimp floating in it. In regular places the assortment of dishes has shriveled down to the tourist set, and the tourist, as everyone knows, eats practically everything, but it should always be something familiar.

Indeed, it’s true, but not for every place.

I’ve always madly loved this restaurant in the basement of a “shopping mall”. Well, sort of a special shopping mall… There’s “Club 21” on top, which always used to be pretty decent and which now will easily outclass the Milanese “10 Corso Como”, especially after the latter was crippled by some skillful marketing-hipsters. Besides, the shops there aren’t all that simple, including Comme de Garҫons and Lanvin. The “food court” below does correspond with the overall spirit quite well.

I stop by, let me count, yeah – for exactly 10 years.

The only thing that is spoiled by tourists: everything’s by default not spicy. People just get their business lunch and are on the leash of this weak-ass trend, so do ask for it to be more spicy. Anyhow, welcome!

Of course, you don’t come here for a serious dinner, but it’s perfect for a super lunch. If you happen to be in the city center, it’s a must.

The menu’s huge and includes really a lot of Thai food, except for the Northern part of it (it’s a separate story). The food’s great!

That means, they have oyster mushrooms exactly where they should be, and these explosive green not-yet-proper tomatoes, and soft shell crabs with garlic and yellow carry (and 8 more variants of this dish), which are fucking delicious. I remember myself crying when I, for the first time in my life, bit off half of the crab in scales and husks with “blueberry sauce”, as it seemed to me back then. Everything still remains that way.

Juices – not only tangerine, but also guava, watermelon, maracuya, etc. Emerald chicken’s a “wow”, crabs are thick, fleshy and elastic unlike the usual gutless blots.

Of course, curry, 15 types, each better than another; if you’re having duck, then you get it with litchi and pineapple – no other way.

Overall, everything’s in accordance with our highest standards.

10 years in a row means quite a long time, so there’s hope it won’t get spoiled eventually.

Do enjoy!