The Thai Pickle

Busaba Eathai is JBR's only Thai restaurant, but can it hold its own?

It's about time restaurants confessed that they have bad days, no matter how popular or highly rated (or overrated) they may be. It isn't the end of the world, but it certainly does help to temper the hype. Case in point, London export Busaba Eathai at The Beach, JBR.
Now, in London - SOHO, to be specific - this place is an institution. If you're in the neighbourhood and hankering for some contemporary Thai food, Busaba is where the lines would start. There weren't any lines at the chain's first and only international franchise in Dubai on the cold and bleak afternoon of the particular Friday my date and I showed up, however. The restaurant is pretty spacious, as with a lot of the restaurants on this stretch, and dimly lit for that touch of intimacy, but we decided to sit outside in view of the lovely wooden floors getting a scrub. This wasn't the most prudent in hindsight. The staff was friendly, offering shawls for those feeling too nippy - bonus points - but ideally, should have been appealing to people's better senses to stay indoors, what with napkins and tablemats taking flight in the blustery weather. There was plenty of room still available.

Nevertheless, we hoped the delicious Thai food would offer all the warmth we needed - cockles and hearts and all that. My date was even more excited than I was because she has actually frequented the SOHO Busaba and was eager for what this Dubai import of the London import of Thai cuisine had to offer.
The menu is short, concise and promising, with lots of Thai classics and favourites, including some interesting things like Salmon and Green Mango Salad. We settled for the small plate set of Por-pia Jay (vegetable spring rolls), Goong Tohd (breaded prawns), Fish Cakes, Chicken Satay, Pandan Chicken - I should mention the typo where Pandan was written 'Panda'; now that would be some dish - and Som Tam (Thai papaya salad). The spring rolls were just average; nothing you couldn't get at any old place in Dubai. The filling was bland and tepid, not fresh and vibrant. The prawns were also pretty average, lacking any real flavour. We must mention that the sauces on the sides were quite good, but the dippers themselves, not so much. The Pandan Chicken was terrible - old, musty-smelling chicken, gnarly and unappetising in appearance. And one of the Chicken Satay pieces was undercooked. The salad was also just average.
We usually don't complain because it's a test for the servers (trade secrets revealed!). Seeing so much left on the plate should trigger questions, but we were only asked if the dishes could be cleared as our mains made their way to our table. C'est la vie à Dubai, non? And so they arrived, a Stir Fried Red Snapper, Coconut Prawn and Pad Kwetio. The coconut prawn curry was our favourite. It was light, the prawns were perfectly cooked, and the curry had lovely slivers of fresh coconut and coconut jelly, green peppercorns and sliced chillies for a bit of heat, and a balanced touch of Thai aromatics, hitting every one of the five tastes, which is quintessential to Thai cuisine. The Pad Kwetio was good too, particularly the use of the shitake mushrooms. The red snapper seemed a little over the top. The fish was delicate and devoid of any bones, something that turned into a topic of deconstructive conversation, but the flavours were a bit all over the place. Again, it wasn't quite vibrant or bold, just tempered and tepid. I guess they've toned it down for Dubai's international palate. Shame.
The desserts were the highlight of our meal. The Coconut Panna Cotta and the Thai Ruby were simply exquisite. The execution of flavours and textures in the panna cotta was spot on - a bit of lime, a few bits of coconut and a delicate coconut cream. The sweet ruby red water chestnuts in the second dessert went great with the jackfruit and coconut milk. We like finishing on a good note.
This does leave us in a bit of a Thai pickle. Maybe this was just one of those bad days. But we're not so sure that's the whole story. The portions at Busaba are good, the service is, well, standard, and the food certainly has a lot to live up to. Maybe it's an extended teething issue. We just hope it gets better because Dubai needs more good Thai restaurants that aren't in fancy hotels.  rohit@khaleejtimes.com

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What we liked: The prawn coconut curry and the desserts
What we didn't like: The lack of feeling and vibrancy in a cuisine that exemplifies those very things
Cost for two: Dh300
Contact: Busaba Eathai, The Beach, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai; Tel: 04-4281421

• Food and Dining