Thai food at Benjarong, Chennai

There is something about Thai food that is mesmerises you, that makes you want to taste it time and again. When you have a friend whose only knowledge of Thai food comes from Pumpkin Thai red curry you cooked at home, you know that she deserves better.

What better way to explore Thai food than Benjarong, one of the best places to try the cuisine (and also most expensive places) in Chennai? So that is where I took her few weeks ago as she was getting ready to be hitched.

She was bewitched by the pretty interiors, beautiful decors and cozy atmosphere. One of the staff there explained that Benjarong in Thai means five colours.

A quick googling will tell you that it is usually refers to painted Thai ceramics porcelain. The painted decoration usually consists of 3 to 8 colors. For decoration repetitive forms, usually geometric or flower-based, are used and the design is named after the colour.

As we settled down after 10 minutes of looking and taking pictures, a polite staff handed us the menu. It was not hard. We went with the Chef’s special for starters. It was Broccoli tod nambuoy, which is nothing but crispy broccoli tossed in apricot sauce. Since my friend wanted to try Thai curry we went with Kaeng Ped, Thai red curry with vegetables and bamboo shoots that is less spicy than the Green curry. For drinks, I tried Siam sparkle made with ginger and Thai spices and being a fan of strawberry she tried Cupid fantasy.

As we was waiting for the food to arrive, I noticed that there were lot of porcelain decoration – plates and cups – that adorned the restaurants. It is probably because of the name and the rich history that goes into the making.

Benjarong history

The history of Benjarong is fascinating for its origin goes back to Ming dynasty in China between 1368–1644 AD. It is said that when princess from China was married to the Siam dynasty (now Thailand) 600 years ago, she bought Benjarong with her. Even before that China exported Benjarong to Siam dynasty for several generations till they discovered Kaolin, a core raw material needed to make them. After discovering Kaolin, the King of Siam decided to bring some of the artists from China and established workshops in Siam Kingdom. That is how the production of Benjarong started in Thailand. Apparently till date, the art of making this porcelain is passed on from one generation to next by Thai artisans since it requires high level of skill and care. Because of the craftsmanship, Benjarong is used for gifting during weddings or used for decoration in houses.

However there seem to be differences between the Chinese and Thai make. While the Chinese porcelain has three colours, the ones made by Thai had five or more colours.

Coming back to food, which was why we are talking about porcelain in the first place, we were first served what Thai call Mian Khum, an appetizer in Thai cuisine. This was nothing but a lettuce leaf wrapped around roasted coconuts, salted peanuts, thinly diced red chillies, finely chopped onion, ginger and lemon and a dash of Tamarind sauce. This was yum and we finished off the bunch of leaves that the dish was usually served. The flavour explodes in your mouth and feel so light that you cannot help but want more.

Miam Khum, thai starter. It is lettuce leaves wrapped around roasted grated coconuts, salted peanuts, thinly diced red chillies, finely chopped onion, ginger and lemon and a dash of Tamarind sauce.

Then came the starter Broccoli in apricot sauce. This again was lovely. Broccoli was crispy and sweetness of apricot sauce was just right leaving you wanting for more and more till you are so full that you will not be able to eat anything else. That was when Siam sparkle comes to rescue. The ginger in the drink helped me make space for the main course – Thai red curry with rice.

Though it tasted good, I was kind of little disappointed with it. There was not enough flavour and the punch was missing. It reminded me of the Thai curry I tried at a hotel in Amsterdam. It was so good (and expensive) that I think I might not be able to like a curry that just was not damn good. The curry at Benjarong was not damn good. But there are so many other items that I love to taste in this place. Benjarong iced coffee and Je ohb woonsen (glass noodles) for one.

Another best thing about this place is the quantity. One dish is enough to serve two people and that really helps given that this restaurant is pricey. (It costs Rs 2000 for two people). All that aside this place is definitely worth checking out, at least once.