First impressions are excellent at Pachaylen. Low lights and warm furnishing help, and so does the welcome from the charming (and Thai) waitresses. It feels intimate, a good
pick for a romantic date even though most of the diners – and it was quite full for a midweek booking – seemed to be hotel guests.
The menu isn’t too long, but unless you’re working your way through it or you know what you’re doing it makes sense to let the chef choose first time around. The set menu is a pretty good deal at AED 195++, a choice from three main course dishes preceded by a starter and a soup, with a dessert to follow and a fun amuse bouche to open.
Khong Wang (which basically means ‘snack’) is your starter, a plate with three items – a chicken satay, green papaya salad with lime chilli dressing, and a small crab cake that was one of the best I’ve tasted outside Thailand.
Then it got even better. Tom Yum Khung is the most famous of Thai soups, all four of the characteristic Thai tastes (salty, sour, sweet and spicy) with a couple of tangy black tiger prawns to provide some bite. This was worth the trip on its own.
The choice of mains included a chicken stir-fry with mushroom, chilli and fresh ginger, but instead we went for the beef tenderloin strips with baby aubergine in green curry sauce and fresh basil; and steamed fish fillet with lemongrass and chilli in soya sauce. The green curry was a warm tide of authentic flavours, and the fish looked as good as it was to eat: green and red strips on a dark sauce hiding the fish.
It’s not that easy to find a really good Thai restaurant in Abu Dhabi, especially if you want something that is (a) pretty authentic and (b) a genuine going-out experience. Pachaylen ticks both boxes.
Details
What: Pachaylen
Where? Eastern Mangroves Hote & Spa
We Say: An excellent experience with
an authentic feel
Cost: Set menu 195 ++
Contact: 02 656 1000
