Smiling BKK, Dubai - Twisted Thai

Stir Fried Chicken with Chilli and Cashew Nuts

It's safe to say that Thai food is in most people's Top 5 Cuisines. It can be spicy or mild, fried or steamed, healthy or unhealthy; whatever you prefer. But what makes it really stick in my mind is how every dish can have such a distinct flavour. A red curry doesn't taste like a panang curry, which doesn't taste like a masaman curry, which is completely different to a yellow or green curry. There is something for everyone, as long as you generally enjoy strong flavours. But is too much choice a bad thing sometimes?

With nothing but optimism and empty stomachs, we visited Smiling BKK, a Dubai based Thai restaurant which is kind of famous for being 'quirky'. After being greeted in Thai by our waiters we were shuffled through to our little table in the corner of the tiny establishment. The place wouldn't seat more than 30 people, but everyone present seemed very happy to be there. The walls were covered in bits and pieces straight from Koh Sahn Road in Bangkok, from cheap T-shirts with thai beer logos, to fake Monets and even a fake Mona Lisa, complete with cartoon eyeballs. Each table comes with a long maraca that needs to be shaken to get the attention of the waiters. The whole place was dripping with personal touches that made it clear that everything had been put together by someone with a lot of pride, creativity and even more free time. The decorative setting made the small room feel more relaxed, humorous and informal, which gave context to the menu layout.

You Rang?

The menu... oh boy. The thing must have had over 100 separate dishes listed. I don't like long menus. It brings into question the freshness of any single dish being prepared, and leads to an excruciating selection process which feels more like studying for an exam than choosing something to eat. But wait, it got even more confusing. EVERY dish had a quirky, dirty, funny or otherwise strange name. every dish. It actually discouraged me a bit from being more thorough or adventurous with my selection, but I can see how it could be amusing to people who visit the place regularly, or go there with their order already in mind and are just reading the menu for fun.

We settled on a papaya salad with salted crab, a stir fried chicken and cashew dish, and an extra spicy green curry. We got sticky rice for the salad and steamed rice for the rest. We figured that a selection of fresh, fried and curried dishes would give us a decent overall impression.

Everything came out in a very reasonable time, and was presented nicely. Notably, the sticky rice was delivered inside a traditional sticky rice basket, to keep it sticky. A very nice touch.

Sticky Rice

The salad was spicy, nutty, fresh and crunchy. Maybe a bit over salted, but absolutely delicious regardless.

Our stir fried chicken was exactly what we expected; spicy, greasy, slightly salty and sticky with the chilli paste sauce that it had been fried in. The fresh green shallots mixed into the dish complimented the heavier fried chicken pieces perfectly.

The green curry was a decent blend of the spice paste and a very thin coconut milk. It could have been a lot thicker, if only for more coconut flavour. Despite that, there were a bucket load of chilli pieces in the thing, which was great. Little sparks of heat which kept the whole thing very interesting from start to finish. The fresh basil leaves sweetened the curry, which was already a little sweet anyway. It wasn't as good as a green curry could be, but they did an excellent job, and the portion size was quite generous.

RECOMMENDED

Smiling BKK has undeniable charm, and the most comprehensive menu of Thai food that I have ever seen. Everyone should visit the place, mainly for the setting itself, which is entirely unique, but also for the food which does justice to the variety and strong flavours of Thai cuisine.


The bill (for 2):
1 x 'Thai Me Up' (aka Som Tum aka Papaya Salad with salted crab) - 35 Dhs
1 x '69 In The Morning' (aka Gai Pad Med Ma Muong aka Stir fried Chicken with chilli and cashews) - 39 Dhs
1 x 'Day Tripping Buddha' (aka Kaeng Kiew Wan aka Green curry with chicken) - 35 Dhs
1 x large water - 5 Dhs
2 x Steamed Rice - 10 Dhs
1 x Sticky Rice - 5 Dhs
TOTAL:  129 Dhs (Approx. US$35)

Restaurant address:Al Wasl Shopping Centre, Al Wasl, Dubai

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