Arts
A chef on a mission to serve you the best of Thai
Chef Dao came to Sri Lanka from Thailand in 2002 and started Dao’s Kitchen as a way of “bringing Bangkok to Sri Lanka”. Having been catering and doing home deliveries since 2004, going on to open her first outlet back in 2016 on Galle Road, she has recently relocated and expanded Dao’s Kitchen at its new home at No. 10 Palm Grove, off R.A. De Mel Mawatha, Colombo 3.
All her own: Chef Dao blending spices. Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
Invited for a special menu tasting, we were met by the strong aroma of chilli, onions and garlic being tossed in a sizzling wok that filled the compact kitchen where authentic Thai food from Dao’s Kitchen was being created by its namesake herself, Chef Dao.
“I make everything from scratch and my food comes from the heart,” Chef Dao tells us, referring to her sauces, marinades and pastes that go to add flavour to the dishes. She hopes that her food will make those who have visited Thailand nostalgic for the melting pot of culture, food and people there and inspire those who have never visited the country to take their next vacation in Thailand.
This is further seen by the restaurant’s interior decor which has memorabilia and pictures that evoke shades of Thailand from the colourful shawls, trinkets, posters of the Damnoen Saduak floating market, Bangkok’s night life, and more.
The food, it turned out, was no less enticing. ‘Prawn on toast’ which was minced prawn on bite-sized pieces of toast encrusted with black and white sesame seeds and deep fried was served as a quick appetizer. The accompaniment of a sweet chilli sauce gave it quite the kick.
A heady concoction of coconut milk, lemongrass and melt-in-your-mouth seafood infused with a variety of spices, the ‘Tom yum soup’ with its notes of sour and spice was a personal favourite as it packed a nice punch.
The papaya salad mixed with raw papaya, a healthy dose of peanuts, lime, tomato, chilli and other ingredients, (that we simply couldn’t keep track of), pounded together in a mortar and pestle by Chef Dao herself was a flavoursome dish that was both refreshing and delicious.
Then came the delicious Pad Thai – a stir-fried mixed dish with rice noodles, vegetables such as bean sprouts and carrots, peanuts, chicken, egg and Chef Dao’s special sauces and spices.
The Pad Kra Pao chicken is a stir-fried chicken tossed with well-marinated pieces of chicken, Thai green chillis, beans, oyster sauce, garlic and other spices. This is not for the faint of heart as the kick from the chilli is quite a lot to handle. The Green chicken curry meanwhile had a mild heat from the young green chillis used in its preparation, the sweetness of the coconut-milk base however, balancing it out.
To finish the satisfying meal, we ended with a traditional Thai dessert of mango with sticky rice — freshly cut mango with sago topped with a sweet coconut milk concoction.
Dao’s Kitchen is open for lunch and dinner daily except Mondays and their extensive menu of starters, salads, soups, mains, desserts and traditional beverages for dine-in and take-away; is definitely not going to disappoint those who delight in authentic Thai cuisine.
