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| Lobbee Thai Connection, Empire Damansara |
Lobbee Thai Connection, Empire Damansara
Ellen Smillie, Alasdair Hamilton, Monica Tindall (The Yum List)
The Lee brothers at Lobbee Thai Connection are bringing a bit of Bangkok to Malaysia by specializing in hot tom yum soups, sure to please local tastes with their abundance of fresh seafood and adjustable level of spice. After visiting Bangkok numerous times, the brothers became hooked on the lobster tom yum food trend and knew this was a dish worth bringing to KL.
Opening its doors just a few weeks ago their menu is packed with mouth watering Thai dishes all prepared by their Thai Chef Bee. Who, by the way, is part of the inspiration for the name - Lob for Lobster and Bee for the chef.
The decor of the restaurant is an industrial theme with splashes of bright yellow which add to the fun and lively atmosphere. Wood pallets covering the back wall are adorned with photographs of various Thai settings, and high ceilings give the impression of spaciousness.
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| Lobbee Thai Connection, Empire Damansara |
Lobby Thai Connection is friendly to many dietary considerations, with no pork served and beverages being alcohol-free. That’s not to say that a little mixology doesn’t occur at the drinks counter however, and we were surprised by how creative the mocktail menu turned out to be. Not only was each drink unique in taste, but in presentation too, with a definite theme of layering of colours throughout the list.
Drinks
The special purple hued flower oft found in Royal Thai cuisine was used to add colour to the Iced Butterfly Pea With Lime (RM8). It arrives in a tall glass, a beautiful deep blue. A shot of lime juice on the side is added at your will, which quickly turns the liquid to a light purple. A hint of lemongrass smooths over the tart citrus. It’s pretty and refreshing.
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| Iced Butterfly Pea With Lime |
Iced Butterfly Pea Milk (RM9) tastes like the rice pudding your grandmother might make but with a Thai twist. A layer of milk sits in the bottom of the glass, with Iced Butterfly Pea with Lime on top. It’s another one that should be admired first, but then stirred before drinking.
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| Iced Butterfly Pea Milk |
We enjoyed the vibrant colours in the Red Lemon Soda (RM8) as well. Red syrup, lemon juice and soda water form the base, and a mini glass bottle of malt is up-ended in the top. Before drinking make sure to mix it first, letting the flavors muddle and slowly pull the bottle out so it can reach its peak taste.
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| Red Lemon Soda |
Food
Our tasting of appetisers started with Fried Potatoes and Thai Salad Dressing (RM11): an innovative take on papaya salad. Replacing the fruit with freshly cut and fried potatoes, there was nothing else to do but smother them with the tasty homemade sauce that accompanied them. Composed of sliced green beans, cherry tomatoes, an abundance of red chilies, garlic and dried shrimp, the sauce is worth begging for a bottle to take some home with you.
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| Fried Potatoes and Thai Salad Dressing |
Lobbee have their own version of Thai Crab Cakes (RM13) too. A mix of chicken and crab meat are scooped into an empty crab shell, covered with egg and deep fried, keeping everything sealed inside the crispy packet until slicing open. A different chili sauce comes with this dish, which plays the perfect complement.
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| Thai Crab Cakes |
Thai fish cakes are also brushed with Lobbee’s flare in their own version, Thai Squid Cakes (RM12). Large pieces of squid are mixed in amongst the fish, onion and spices. Of course, they also come with their very own special sweet Thai chili sauce made with cucumber, chili and peanut.
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| Thai Squid Cakes |
Another sauce, tamarind this time, came with tender juicy Chicken Skewers (RM9) and we were impressed again with the attention to detail the team has given to each and every dish.
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| Chicken Skewers |
The star of the show however, was the Tom Yum Lobster Soup (RM98 - serves 3 people easily). Our eyes must have bulged just as much as the enormous bowl of broth (brimming with an extraordinary amount of seafood) as it was delivered to our table. Lobster, king crab legs, salmon, squid, mussels, soft boiled egg and rice noodles protruded over the top and much care had to be taken in laying the mammoth meal on the table so as not to topple any precious piece from the stack. Cracking open the legs and pulling out the juicy lobster meat, was the most fun I have had eating soup in a long time. You almost need a lobster bib for this one! As meals are finalised freshly upon request, guests can ask for more or less spice as so desired. We had the moderately spiced broth and found it so deliciously more-ish that even though our stomaches felt as though they were bursting at the seams, we kept diving back in to mop up the very last drop.
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| Tom Yum Lobster Soup |
Especially appreciated after that spicy line-up, was the Blue Ruby Butterfly: a chilled dessert made with coconut milk, butterfly pea coated water chestnuts, and fresh jackfruit. Light and mildly sweet, it makes a flawless ending.
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| Blue Ruby Butterfly |
Reasons to visit: freshly prepared sauces - each dish comes with a distinct sauce; Tom Yum Lobster Soup (a must!); creative drinks.
Lobby Thai Connection
LG-07 Empire Damansara
Jalan PJU 8/8, Damansara Perdana
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
http://ift.tt/1V33noU
+6 03 7629 4869
Open from 11am- 3pm and 5:30pm-10:00pm on Tuesday - Sunday
source: The Yum List http://ift.tt/1V33noW
