This Thai favourite in Chennai finds a new home in Adyar with a tighter menu of bold and comforting flavours

After nearly 12 years at its old address, Absolute Thai has moved to a new home in Adyar, with a tighter menu and a fresh crop of dishes joining the old favourites. We went to see what the new chapter tasted like and quickly found ourselves wishing we’d arrived hungrier.

From lotus stem tempura to five-egg fried rice, Absolute Thai’s Adyar reboot turns up the heat

The room does the talking first. A large artwork of Jay Fai, the Michelin-starred Bangkok street food chef, watches over the space, while murals depicting Thai food, street scenes and landmarks bring touches of the country into the room.

We start snacking, and don’t really stop. The crispy Lotus stem tempura is a good place to begin, thin and properly crisp. In place of honey, it now comes with a sweet chilli and chilli paste mix, a spicy kick on crisp edges that’s easy to keep picking at. The Chicken spring roll follows, packed with juicy pulled chicken, cabbage, herbs, lime and water chestnuts. The Thai basil chicken brings a more assertive hit of garlic, bird’s eye chilli and fragrant basil, but it’s the Prik Thai prawn where things pick up with wok-charred prawns slicked in lime leaf butter and roasted chilli, plump and tender, sweetness holding up against the smoky heat.

Our favourite, though, is the pickled Prawn har gow, translucent parcels hiding prawns pickled in vinegar. Bite into one and the filling nearly bursts through the wrapper, a bright tang that has us reaching for another. Next, the Tenderloin gyoza, cooked entirely in tallow for fuller meatiness, pepper soy adding depth and a crisp base for texture. New to the menu is the crunchy Prawn tempura roll, prawn meeting crisp tempura flakes for a satisfying bite. The Kra pao smash bao chicken gives a familiar bun a Thai spin, juicy smashed chicken, garlic, basil and bird’s eye chilli tucked inside, the heat fragrant rather than overpowering.

The Golden egg fried rice arrives wrapped in a three-egg French omelette, with two more eggs folded through the garlic rice inside for a five-egg affair, soft and comforting. The house-made chilli crisp is worth adding, its shallots and spice mix bringing deeper umami heat and texture.

Then, we had the Thai green curry prawn, served with pan-seared shokupan rather than rice, an unexpected pairing that works beautifully. The buttery bread soaks up the creamy, gently spiced curry while roasted peanuts, fried shallots, garlic and sweet-pickled cucumber bring crunch and brightness to every bite.

We finish with Banana toffee pudding, dense yet somehow light, vanilla ice cream melting into warm toffee, peanut brittle for crunch. To drink, the Iced Milo brings a creamy hit of chocolate malt, while the house-brewed Peach iced tea is mellow and refreshing.

Meal for two: INR 1,200 onwards. 12 pm to 3.30 pm, 6.30 pm to 11 pm. At Absolute Thai Restaurant, Adyar.

Email: anoushkakundu@newindianexpress.com

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.