Food : Matthew Krouse
Alighting from one’s car and approaching the Wangthai Restaurant, in Pretoria’s genteel nook of Brooklyn, one is greeted by the strangest apparition. A bevy of blonde waitresses, in flowing saris, bowing in infinite submission. It’s the start of a fabulous romance – the love we feel for our stomachs.
Wangthai is the perfect conduit for the myth that good Eastern food is not an indulgence but a philosophy. Much of this take on the East is contained in the restaurant’s own newsletter, the Oriental Express, a colourful brochure that emphasises the Buddhist hospitality ethic, called “water of the heart”.
Well, with lots of water in their hearts the proprietors have created a garden of earthly delights. Not so much because the decor is so superb – which it is – but because the cuisine presents a cornucopia of contradictory tastes, each more decadent than the one before. For those who know Thai food, and who’ve become weary of the taste of peanuts mixed with coconut, Wangthai is the perfect antidote. It’s just not exotic food “dumbed down” to suit the Western mouth. Nor is it so unusual that it’s unpalatable.
>From the main restaurant area you can get a good view of the kitchen, so there’s no mistaking who does the cooking at Wangthai.
The kitchen is run by a smattering of genuine Thai chefs who can be seen over a counter, tossing their spectacular fare over hot flames. With this comes a reassurance, from the proprietor, that all ingredients are imported from afar.
The menu offers visitors the standard Thai fare – steeped in fresh lemon grass, lime leaves and an array of spices and nuts. For those who don’t stray from the tried and tested, there are familiar starters like Tom Yum and Satay Gai.
For the more adventurous, don’t turn down a helping of Meang Khum. You get a plate full of chopped up things like onion, coconut, ginger, nuts, lemon, lemon grass and chili. What you do is fold these in a cone of spinach, dip them in a palm sugar sauce and the rest is history.
And why not go for the Ped Ob Nam Pheong (if you can get your lips around the name) – a main course of roast duck in honey sauce. Of course, in true Eastern style, order about 10 things, request a lazy Susan and share.
Wangthai is part of a chain of restaurants, affectionately referred to by their owners as a “family”. With four in Cape Town, and now one in Pretoria, it’s only a matter of time before these successful entrepreneurs open in other centres too.
Let’s hope so – while the food isn’t cheap, it’s a very good deal.
Wangthai Restaurant can be found at 281 Middel Street, Brooklyn, Pretoria