Fragrant Thai to beat the hilly chill
When the menu was handed to me I was amused — and vaguely comforted — by the concern for diners indicated by the note: “Reading glasses available.” It suggested inspired thinking by the restaurant’s management. Even more concern was demonstrated by the display of the calorie content and cholesterol count of some dishes.This was not in a slick minimalist café designed for ill-sighted weight watchers with heart problems, but in a Thai restaurant in the traditional environment of the Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya. The hotel is part of the legacy of Sir Edward Barnes, the island’s Governor from 1824 to 1831. From him, Sri Lanka inherited its network of roads as, when he first arrived here in 1819 to be Commander in Chief, Barnes declared that what the country needed was: “first roads, second roads and third, roads.”
Barnes’ enthusiasm resulted in the start of a road to Nuwara Eliya from Colombo, and also of the Grand Hotel. It began as the bungalow Barnes built as his private residence and where he entertained lavishly and “riotous folly” — as one guest described his parties –was commonplace. After he left in 1831, Barnes Hall was used by a succession of Governors and Government Agents, then as a club until finally becoming a hotel, as shown on a map of Nuwara Eliya dated 1862.
The building was taken over and expanded in 1891 by the Nuwara Eliya Hotel Company, the centenary of which was celebrated grandly in 1991. While the main bar, the billiard room, and the hotel’s hexagonal, mirror ceilinged lounge and courteous service have not changed much since 1991, the restaurants have. There is a secluded wine bar and a fine tea terrace while the gloomy coffee shop tucked down a corridor has been transformed into the swish Magnolia Café for comfort food around the clock.
A new wing has been added which originally had in its depths a fine dining “Supper Club” restaurant. This is the source of a warm and cosy temple of Thai gastronomy, complementing the hotel’s popular Indian restaurant at its gates.The décor captures the dignity of the original restaurant with mirrored partitions like Oriental screens and comfortable dining chairs that seem to have a Thai touch. There is a sign-posted entrance direct from the road running alongside the golf course, as well as access from the hotel’s warren of highly polished corridors.
When I dined there on a recent evening, the Grand Thai was packed with diners wrapped up warmly against the chill of the hills. It has become popular not only with hotel guests but with tourists as well as Sri Lankans looking for something different from local fare. The menu takes time to digest (even if the food vanishes quickly) so we asked for a bottle of wine while we studied it. The wine list is enormous and well presented but the obliging steward quickly brought some bottles so we could choose from what was actually in stock.
While the menu featured many tantalising items, they were named in Thai and not numbered, which made ordering more challenging as we flicked from page to page. I chose as a starter Poo Jan, which was a creation of deep fried marinated crab meat, minced chicken and egg served in a crab shell topped with coriander and sliced red chilli (Rs. 700). It proved just enough to whet my appetite while the other dishes were being prepared.
My companion chose as a main course (although everything came together so we could share) Gaeng Maa Ped Yang (Rs. 900) which turned out to be a bowl of mildly spiced traditional roasted pork red curry with pineapple, grapes, pepper, cherry tomato and Thai egg plants (tiny buds of delight) flavoured with sweet basil. It was sensational: fragrant and just right to combat the chill of a Nuwara Eliya evening.
Somehow beef from Sri Lanka always tastes better, and seems more tender, in the hill country. So I opted for Nuea Yang Jim Jaeo (Rs.1,800) which was rich slices of marinated roast beef served with a spicy roasted rice dip and Thai rice – another dish for keeping out the cold.
Everything was presented under the watchful eye of Executive Chef Priyantha Weerasinghe who encouraged us to have other dishes too, including fried rice noodles with beef and vegetables (Rs. 900). These created a contemporary Thai feast where we least expected it: in a venerable haven of hill country tradition. Sir Edward Barnes would surely have approved of this “riotous folly.”
Grand Thai, Grand Hotel, Nuwara Eliya, tel: 052 222 2881; http://grandhotel.tangerinehotels.com/dining/