Bowl & Thai Cafe @ Plaza Mont Kiara KL & The Porki Society @ Sea Park PJ

This is going to be a Thai-licious write up.

Starting with a dose of delectable and value for money Thai-eats at Bowl & Thai Cafe, followed by some Thai street food at the soft launch of The Porki Society, the new kid on the block that serves pork boat noodles.

It's really all about affordable Thai food today. Are you ready for an influx of food photographs?

Bowl & Thai Cafe

Plaza Mont Kiara is not in my usual food radar. The place is a hot spot among the office crowd, though clearly not so much of the weekend crowd, with most preferring the much cooler 1 Mont Kiara next door.

Today's scout for affordable Thai-Eats brought me to Bowl & Thai Cafe, an extremely secluded hawker-style Thai restaurant, tucked at the back building of Plaza Mont Kiara.

Located in Block E, the same block as number76 and Subway, take the escalator one floor down to the basement level, then take a left. Bowl & Thai cafe is located right in front of Galaxy Korean Supermarket.

Let me tell you this - the place is not easy to track down. With a non-existent concierge or floor directory, we had frustrated moments of stumbling in and out of elevators and buildings, before successfully making our way here, with an odd sense of achievement to boost. So was it worth the find?

Thai Minced Pork and Basil. Rm10.

Thai Noodle Salad with Shrimp. Rm13.

Tom Yum Gung with Rice/Noodle. Rm11.

Thai Fried Rice with Pandan Chicken. Rm10.

Thai Shrimp Omelette with Rice. Rm10. 

Thai Chili Pork. Rm10.

Thai Garlic Chicken Rice. Rm10.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10. We didn't expect much to begin with, but our meal today came surprisingly good. Highlights were - Thai fried rice (Great sticky textures), Thai shrimp omelette (Fluffy and crisp - one of the better ones I've had), Thai noodle seafood salad (Loads of seafood), Tom Yum Gung (Fiery yet bursting with flavors) and the Thai garlic chicken rice (friends love this). Most dishes served here would lean towards the saltier side however.

The obvious downside - location, location, location. If it's that hard for me to find, it'll most likely be for you too. Walk-ins are undoubtedly rare and the place is probably known to neighborhood peeps and the office crowd who works in the area only. That said, I still think that this cafe decks up some pretty decent Northern-Thai dishes, at an average of 10 bucks per pax. Like what my friend said, this simple cafe is like a slightly more atas-version of what you'd typically get at a hawker center. So, if you're simply looking for some affordable and decent Thai food, this place would do you well.

For more Thai Restaurants Review Click Here.

Bowl & Thai is located at:

Address: E/OG/10C, Block E, Plaza Mont Kiara, 2 Jalan Kiara, Mont Kiara 50480 KL.

Phone: 012-2006810

Opening Hours: 10am-7pm Daily. Closed Sunday.

(See detailed directions above)

The Porki Society



"Hey, are these benches and floorboards hand painted individually?", I asked my friend while I studied the surface of our table.

The Porki Society officially opened its doors about a few months back - pardon the very delayed write up. I was there for their soft launch, as eager as ever to sample some of the much talked about Thai pork boat noodles. Like the name suggests, apart from the desserts, all dishes here have pork in it.

Find KFC / Paramount. It should be on your right hand side, at the Paramount/Seapark traffic junction. Take a right after the lights and you will see this massive signboard, also on your right.

Signature Pork Boat Noodles. Rm1.90.

Signature Marinated Pork. Rm4.90.

Pork Ball with Soup. Rm3.90.

Porki BBQ Skewers. Rm4.90.

Moo Tod Porki. Rm3.90.

Pork Rinds. Rm1.90.

Takoh. Rm2.50.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10. For Rm1.90/bowl, there's nothing more I could ask for. Packed with pork balls, pork slices, pork intestine and the much addictive pork lard - in pretty generous portions too if I may just add. There're essentially 4 varieties to choose from - dry, soup, beehon, rice noodle. I really liked the rice noodle with soup option - those had a well balanced, sweet and savory flavor to it.

If I were you, I'd keep the noodles to a minimum and save some space for the sides instead. The rest of the Thai street snacks were equally pleasant and the pork skewers and takoh were probably the ones that stood out for me. Notwithstanding, the air ventilation could've been better. Withal, I thought The Porki Society to be a fantastic find, especially if you're up for some Thai street delights. Also expect to see new menu additions along the way.

For more Thai Restaurants Review Click Here.

The Porki Society is located at:

Address: 10, Jalan 21/19, Seapark, Seksyen 21, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Phone: 03-7865 1968
Email: theporkisociety@gmail.com

Opening Hours: 12:00 - 15:00, 18:00 - 22:00 (Weekdays), 11:00 - 15:00, 18:00 - 22:00 (Weekends). Closed Monday.