Tom Thai Soul is a hip Thai restaurant located within Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty. We were told that the flavours and concept are derived from Bangkok’s street food scene and the kitchen is helmed by Chef Supattra and Chef Surachai – Thai nationals themselves. While we were at first skeptical at the prospect of tasting authentic Thai food in India with thoughts like
“Can Kochi or for that matter, India, produce authentic Thai flavours?”
“What should we say if the food tastes meh?”
However, everything changed upon the first spoon full of the Thai Fried Rice (Khao Phad Gai)… In this review, we’ll show you all the dishes we tried at Thai Soul Kochi and as well as the exclusive interview with Chef Supattra, revealing her secrets to the most authentic tastes from Thailand, right here in India!
First Impressions and Menu of Thai Soul Kochi
Upon entry into Thai Soul restaurant, we were promptly seated and given time to browse through the menu…
While browsing through the menu, we were kinda distracted by the high ceilings of the restaurants, spacious interiors, classy and modern design with an open kitchen concept. We then noticed guests approaching the chefs, interacting with them and observing closely as they serve up their dishes – what an interesting concept!
What We Had @ Thai Soul Grand Hyatt Kochi
Soon, we were up for our orders. Since, we were so mesmerised by the interiors of Thai Soul, we didn’t really have a definite choice as yet. Hence, we deftly asked for a recommendation from the ever-attentive staff here. 😉 For a Thai restaurant in Kochi, the menu was actually rather extensive, ranging from fried noodles and rice to the delectable choice of desserts. This time, we were recommended the fried rice (Khao Phad) as well as the stir fried chicken with spring onion, chili and cashew nut (Gai Phad Med Mamuang). First, a cant-stop-at-just-one fried taro appetizer…
Upon closer inspection, the look and smell did play the part. But how did the taste go?
AMAZING!
Having tried Thai food from Phuket and Pattaya, we had a pretty good idea of how Thai flavours ought to be. Moreover, Thai restaurants are common in Singapore and Malaysia. Hence, it was indeed surprisingly to find such authentic and absolutely delicious Thai food – in Kochi, no less!
It was plain to see (and taste) that each grain of the fried rice was thoroughly fried with a perfect control of the flames. Chef Supattra then recommended the fish sauce (with chili padi!) that complemented the fried rice really well. The stir fried chicken on the other hand was tender and juicy on the inside while crispy and well coated with the tangy and savoury sauce on the outside. Smell, taste and textures were perfectly executed.
While busying wolfing and devouring savouring the above dishes, Chef Supattra managed to find time to join us for a little bit. One of the biggest question we had on our minds was
“How in the world did you manage to re-create such authentic and amazing Thai flavours in Kochi, India?!”
Chef Supattra then revealed several reasons. Firstly, all of the fish sauces and soy sauces are directly imported from Thailand – what you get here is what you get in Thailand. As simple as that. Secondly, Chef Supattra also revealed that she has a little spice garden that she maintains so that she ensures that her secret ingredients are always fresh from the source. But thirdly and most importantly, we found out that Chef Supattra inherited her culinary skills from her father who plied his trade on the streets of Thailand. Perhaps, the most authentic that you can get. In addition, we found out that she had spent 13 years in Hyatt Dubai, leading and training the local team to cook Thai cuisine. No wonder we were able to taste such bona fide Thai food at Thai Soul.
Then, it was time for desserts. Without second thoughts, we opted for the dish most representative of Thai desserts – the mango sticky rice.
As expected, we were impressed by what was served up. The glutinous rice had the right textures and chewiness to it while the mango and coconut milk blended a perfect melody in the mouth. There’s also a little secret ingredient – the mung bean, that added a slight crisp to this dish. Yumilicious! The overall experience led us to visit Thai Soul again on our second night at Grand Hyatt Kochi 😛
On our second night, we started with appetizers with drinks and had Phad Thai with Tom Yam soup for the mains…
As Chef Supattra was not around on the second night, we were treated to the culinary skills of Chef Surachai 🙂 For starters, every little dish was appetizing and mouth-watering. But 2 dishes captured our taste buds. The fried chicken pandan leaves were well marinated, infused with pandan flavours while having a delicate tenderness on every bite. We then queried Chef Surachai and found out that the chicken was first marinated with a secret sauce and wrapped in pandan leaves before steaming it. After steaming, it was then deep fried to perfection. Such laborious steps. No wonder chicken pandan leaves turned out to be amazing. The spicy minced chicken with its tangy lime juice and slightly spicy chili padi made us go back for seconds (and thirds) spoonfuls of it!
The first slurp revealed that the Tom Yam Soup was excellent! Even while writing this, our mouths are salivating. This is because, the rich (yet clear) broth burst with spicy and tangy flavours on each mouthful. Prawns in the soup was superbly fresh. As for the Phad Thai…you’ll just have to taste it yourself to believe it! 😉 Do note that it is usually served up without the egg omelette.
Review of Thai Soul Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty
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Thanks to the chefs at Thai Soul Kochi, we were treated to such an amazing experience of Thai cuisine. Having tried Thai cuisine in Thailand and various parts of Southeast Asia, we were so surprised to taste such bona fide tastes in Kochi. In terms of quality, it probably trumps several Thai cuisine we’ve tasted before as well. Hence, for the most authentic Thai cuisine in Kochi, head to Thai Soul @ Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty – for Thai food that certainly satisfies the soul! 😛
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