THAILAND ORIGINAL DAIRY QUEEN
The look and location are different, but the taste is still the same
Rarely does a time-honoured restaurant see success when its business is revamped with a modern concept. The challenge gets tougher, especially when relocation is part of the change. But that isn’t the case for Dairy Queen at Udomsuk, a newly opened outlet of a 55-yearold Thai restaurant brand, Dairy Queen, which has offered to local diners gastronomic comfort since 1963.
Grandmas and grandpas treasured the brand for its authentic Thai dishes — the likes of fermented noodles with curry sauce, lhon chilli dip and pungent yum salad — and never confused it with the American fast-food chain.
Yet today, as our beloved ancestors gradually fade, a new generation of diners looks for excitement, and urban land value skyrockets, the restaurant’s original premises in the prime Bang Khen district have been closed.
Now, under the helm of second-generation owners, the restaurant has moved to Sukhumvit 103 in the Bang Na area. Compared to the original suan ahan ( multi-section, open-air restaurant) setting, the new venue offers a fresher, trendier and, the management claims, more photogenic dining ambience.
However — and this is a good news — no matter how much they boast about the visual improvement, the authenticity of homestyle Thai cuisine, which has long been a business hallmark, is still at the forefront.
To make it even better, behind the comforting culinary flair are uncompromising standards and use of high technology.
The eight-month-old restaurant operates under strict procedures supported by a meticulously calculated engineering system, to ensure hygienic quality and environment-friendly practices.
For example, kitchen fumes are filtered for grease before being released outside, while the drainage is all chrome and professionally installed, to ensure it can be completely cleaned.
Many things are new here, but fortunately not the kitchen crew or front-of-house staff.
Service is pleasurably offered by familiar employees who remember regulars by name and dining preferences.
Deciding on which food to order is still challenging, should you come in a small group. The menu lists more than 200 items: sour-and-spicy salad, curries, chilli-dip platter, roasted and grilled meat, seafood, a limited choice of Western dishes. Scanning through the selection will instantly make your mouth water and your mind dazed with strong appetite.
A crown symbol next to some of the dishes makes decisions easier, by indicating that a dish is popular and comes highly recommended.
Following the menu recommendation, my lunch started with yum thua phu, or spicy winged bean salad (190 baht).
Finely sliced bright green winged bean came with a generous helping of shredded chicken meat, plump prawns, boiled egg and sweet-and-sour roasted-chilli dressing. A garnish of crispy deep-fried shallots helped lend to the peppery dish an aromatic oniony sweet-and-nutty touch.
A nice choice for everyone, especially the spice-sensitive, is the restaurant’s all-time best-seller, gai hor bai toey, or deep-fried chicken in pandan leaf wrap (190 baht). The chicken meat was succulent and flavourful, evincing good marination, and served with plum-infused soy sauce on the side.
Pla duk foo phrik khing khai khem, or crispy catfish meat tossed with sweet red curry paste and salted egg yolk (200 baht), was another dish worth having. The freshwater fish was coarsely chopped with skin intact before being deep-fried until crispy, then tossed over flame with thick sweet chilli paste and julienne green beans. Morsels of egg yolk, with the look and texture of cheese crumbs, add a nice, salty contrast to the sweet and fiery recipe.
The restaurant’s rendition of local favourite
gaeng som koong cha-om thord (180 baht) was flawless. You can simply ignore the confusing menu description; it’s indeed a sour-and-spicy orange-coloured soup with sizeable prawns and chunks of deep-fried acacia pancake.
Chao samut, or translated in English as “king of the ocean”, is another longtime popular dish featuring deep-fried stuffed prawn cake with herbseethed gravy (200 baht). This signature dish of Dairy Queen was traditionally served sizzling on a hot metal pan with the searing sound and fumes promised to draw attention from fellow diners at nearby tables. Still just as piping-hot and scrumptious, the dish now comes sedately on a white porcelain plate and, as usual, features supple and gummy prawn cake with delicious chopped seafood filling.
There is also a decent choice of individual rice and noodle dishes. I was impressed with guaytiew rad na, or flat rice noodles with a choice of meat in thick gravy. My choice of pork (160 baht) was up to par thanks to large and succulent slices of pork loin, sweet and crunchy Chinese kale, aromatic and chewy wok-burnt noodles, and subtle-tasting gravy.
Should you wish to wrap up your meal in Thai style, go for the sweetened banana with coconut cream sauce (70 baht); it’s delicious.
But if you don’t mind a chocolatey Western finale, I highly recommend the molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream (120 baht). The not-too-sweet cake was so good, it made me wonder if I was dining in a Thai restaurant.
The house-made brownie, meanwhile, proved a much more sugary alternative.
When it comes to beverages, I had never said something like, “The drink has real value for money”, simply because it never has been.
But let me say it for the longan juice (70 baht) here. Served in a big, jar-like glass, it was a praiseworthy refreshment not only for the generous portion but also for the supreme quality of dry longan fruit that, when rehydrated, exhibits a plump, fragrant and tasty chew.
The restaurant’s main dining room on the ground floor accommodates up to 50 guests. Three private chambers on the third floor, each accommodating 15 guests, can be connected to form a large function room. A motor chairlift is available for elderly diners and other guests with difficulty walking stairs.