Gourmet: Mali Thai

I am a person who likes to vary. It is rare that I repeat a dish in a restaurant and it is not even frequent that I repeat a restaurant. However, one of the exceptions is Tom Kha Gai soup. When I find it on the menu of a Thai restaurant, it is very difficult not to order it. I particularly find it a genius, since it is the perfect balance between sweet, spicy and sour. None of the three flavors overlaps or overshadows the other, but rather overlaps slightly to achieve an amalgam that explodes in the mouth. It is also unusual to find it in our country, at least well done, since for it to be perfect, galangal and kafir lime must be used, ingredients that do not reach Ecuador, although they can be replaced with lime and ginger. Its ingredients are coconut milk, kafir lime leaves, galangal, lemon verbena, chives, garlic, a pinch of coriander, fish and chicken stock, lime juice, oil and sugar.

The Mali Thai is the best I have tasted in Ecuador. Pretty close to the one you might try in Bangkok.

The Mali Thai restaurant in Olón, in a place worth going to. Especially at night. Of course, if the east has a certain magic at night. The decoration lends itself to the lighting they use, giving it an atmosphere of freedom, rusticity and informality, but with attention to detail.

We then ordered the famous Pad Thai noodles. Again the best we have eaten in Ecuador. This dish consists of a thick rice paste, sautéed with vegetables, coconut, peanuts and tamarind sauce. Thai gastronomy forces to use all the taste buds, famous for the mixture of flavors using contrast. Tamarind is key to that.

We continue with the roll in a sheet of rice paper. They are vegetables wrapped and completely covered by a thin and very delicate roll of rice. This is a very simple dish, its charm being the freshness of the vegetables and their combination, the delicateness of the rice dough and its sauce.

Part of their menu is specialty Nikkei rolls, of their own creation. The Roll Spicy Buddha caused us a pleasant surprise. White fish, grilled pineapple, avocado, with chives, spicy shrimp mousse, topped with wakame and soy sauce. The piece of white fish, abundant and very fresh. The mixture of the roll, although aggressive due to the pineapple, was totally coherent in the mouth, perhaps because it was roasted. Mali Thai was top notch for value for money. We ate for less than $50, three people, with beer, great quality dishes. Recommended. (EITHER)