Princess Neverland: Absolute Thai @ KSL City Mall, Johor Bahru

Thai cuisine is always my family's favourite whenever we're eating outside since all of us are spicy lovers. I dined in numerous Thai restaurants and my favourite goes to a small and unpleasant-looking stall in non-air-conditioned hawker centre. (I will talk about this stall another day haha) In contrast, those franchised Thai restaurants frequently found in shopping malls are not my cup of tea. These restaurants are well-furnished and the environment is more comfortable but sad to say, I'm not pleased with their food (for most of the time). Oh yea the Princess is hard to please! After several unpleasant dining experience at these franchised Thai restaurants, I can't help but to avoid them when I want to have Thai cuisine. However, the Thai restaurant that I'm going to share with you today changed my mindset. My perception on franchised Thai restaurants was proven wrong after I dined in this restaurant.

Absolute Thai @ KSL City Mall, Johor Bahru

I was really surprised to know that there is a Thai restaurant hidden in the KSL City Mall. I shopped at KSL City Mall quite frequently and I have never seen this restaurant before omg @@ Located at the Lower Ground of KSL City Mall, Absolute Thai is at the same row with Tesco.

In contrast to the other Thai restaurants which are usually furnished in Tropical design, Absolute Thai is a very stylish and modern restaurant. This is my first time to see such a trendy and chic Thai restaurant!

How lovely it is! I fell in love with the interior design of Absolute Thai immediately as soon as I stepped into the shop! At one moment I thought I was back to some coffee house in Korea! This is just too pretty to be real!

After giving you a short tour at the well-furnished Absolute Thai, it's the time to kick start our hot and spicy gastronomical journey today!

Thai Mango Salad with Crispy Catfish
RM 15.90

Thai Mango Salad is not new to me, it is always my favourite side dish when I was studying in the university. But Thai Mango Salad topped with crispy Catfish is something that I have never tried before and it tasted so good! The fresh mango slices were well-mixed with peanuts, and it went so well with the crispy catfish!

Tomyam Seafood Soup Served in Firepot (Red Base)
RM 26.90

Tomyam is definitely my favourite Thai dish. Who can resist a pot of hot and fiery tomyam soup on a cold rainy day? Two types of Tomyam hot pot are available in Absolute Thai, which are red base soup and clear soup respectively. They looked very different and of course, they tasted different as well. Both of the seafood hotpots were served with generous amount of prawns, fish slices, sotong and my favourite straw mushroom!

Tomyam Seafood Soup Served in Firepot (Clear Base)
RM 26.90

Red base soup is creamier due to the presence of coconut milk. In contrast, clear base soup is lighter. Comparing the two soups, I personally prefer the red base soup because it tasted more flavourful. The clear base soup was a bit salty for my liking.

Pineapple Fried Rice with Prawns
RM 16.90

Being served in a pineapple bowl, the pineapple fried rice was topped with generous amount of cashew nuts and fresh prawns. This dish looked very appetizing but the taste was a bit disappointing. I didn't find any pineapple cubes in the fried rice, or maybe it was just because I didn't have the luck to get some pineapple cubes? Maybe I shall give it another try next time.

Green Curry Chicken
RM 16.90

This was so so so good! I'm a huge fans of green curry and Absolute Thai's green curry was cooked to perfection! The brinjal was cooked to a soft and mushy state and it almost fused with the thick green curry gravy. At the same time, the boneless chicken pieces remained juicy and tender. This is my favourite dish of the night and I will definitely come back for it.

Sizzling Ming Prawns with Tamarind Sauce
RM 38.90

If I were to describe this dish in one sentence, then I will say "A mouthful of freshness and juiciness!" The Ming prawns were very very fresh, therefore giving a mouthful of ocean sweetness when I bite the prawn. You don't have to worry about the prawn-peeling process, the kitchen did it for you. :D The natural ocean sweetness of the Ming prawns went perfectly with the sourness of the Tamarind sauce. This is a very appetizing dish that will make you to ask for a second bowl of rice.

Stir-Fired Bean Curd with Hot Basil Leaves
RM 12.90

Nothing can go wrong with hot Basil leaves, so does this tofu. Fragrant and sweet, a dish that is suitable for all.

Thai Fish Cakes
RM 9.90

Thai Fish Cake tasted like chinese spring roll and the special Thai sauce definitely did a great job in enhancing its flavour.

Mango with Sticky Rice
RM 11.90

A meal is not complete without dessert. And we had two desserts after the fiery hot and spicy meal. Absolute Thai only uses local Mango to prepare this dessert. The sticky rice was a bit hard for my liking, I would prefer it to be softer and stickier.

Water Chestnut in Coconut Milk Topped with Jackfruits

This is a must-try! I love this so so so much! It might look ordinary and plain to you but trust me, this is a hidden gem in Absolute Thai! Can you spot the small red pieces floating in the coconut milk? These tiny red pieces were so yummy! They are actually bites of water chestnut wrapped in sago, how did they do it? Oh I really like the special texture.

Ice Blended Mango
RM 12

I was expecting this drink to be very sweet and to my surprise, it was sour! You can taste the mango fibers in the drink. Well my favourite Mango drink still goes to Lemon Tree's Mango Milk Shake. Oh I can never forget that divine rich and creamy texture.

Lemon Grass Juice
RM 8

After having all the hot and spicy Thai dishes, a glass of Lemon Grass Juice can give you an immediate cooling effect. It tasted very natural with a light honey hint.