Black Canyon @ Taman Maluri

Black Canyon is a chain of restaurants, which originated from Thailand in the 1990s, serving food and coffee under its Black Canyon Coffee brand.  Since opening its first branch here in 2002, it has grown to more than 15 branches in various parts of Malaysia.  The restaurant specialises in Thai-style dishes but also serves some western and fusion dishes.

I used to drop by Black Canyon @ Taman Maluri, after my grocery shopping, for a coffee or a quick bite of Thai food....on my own!  But I haven't been here for many years now and decided to revisit (recently) for a quick dose of some spicy/sour food.

Although I do like to eat Thai food, it's a cuisine I don't get to eat often (more like at all) with my family or friends as they don't share the same liking for Thai food.  My family don't fancy Thai food and some of my friends have young children in tow, so Thai food is usually not in our list of places to go.

So, dining alone, I settled for the "Pad Thai" Style Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Prawns @ RM11.90 which is a very popular Thai street food.  It's also one of the signature dishes of this restaurant.  The super thin and translucent Thai rice noodles were fried with prawns, chicken, tofu, egg, bean sprouts and Chinese chives, served with a wedge of lime, ground dried chilli pepper and crushed roasted peanuts on the side. 

You'll find the noodles soft and somewhat mushed together...and that's the way it should be (although some might not like the super soft texture).  The core flavours of any Thai dish is the balance of salty, spicy, sweet and sour...and this had the right balance!  It's a very refreshing dish to eat ;)

Of course, when you come to a restaurant that serves Thai food, you just have to order tom yum, otherwise it wouldn't feel right.  On another visit, I ordered a Mini Tom Yum @ RM4.50 as I didn't think I could handle a whole bowl on my own.  If you have someone to share your tom yum, then you could definitely go for a larger bowl with the whole works...prawns, seafood, chicken.

The tom yum soup turned out moderately sour and spicy and the spiciness was tolerable...at least it won't blow the roof off your mouth!  This mini tom yum came with fresh ingredients like enoki mushrooms, tomato, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, Thai chillies, galangal, fresh cilantro and lime juice to give the broth the hot and sour kick it needed.  If you like punchy flavours of a hot and sour tom yum, this is a decent rendition.

Another immensely popular Thai street snack is the Tod Mun Pla @ RM12.90, otherwise known as Thai fish cakes, and it's definitely among the top Thai dishes I like to eat.  The fried fish cakes were made up of fish paste, chopped long beans (sometimes French beans are used), shredded lime leaves and chillies. 

The fish cakes take on a bit more colour (than the usual fish cakes) because they've been marinated in some Thai red curry paste.  I liked that the fish cakes had a firm and bouncy texture....absolutely yumsss!

It was served with a Thai chilli dip that is both sweet and sour, with a bit of heat, although the predominant flavour is sweet, but I'm happy eating the fish cakes just on its own.

For dessert, what is more famous than this Thai dessert of Thab Tim Krob (aka Red Rubies) @ RM4.90 which is a dessert of water chestnuts in coconut milk.  Some Thai restaurants serve this with strips of jackfruit for added crunch and sweetness....and I like that too! 

First of all, the dessert looks vibrant with stunning looking tapioca-encrusted water chestnuts that resemble red rubies.  The not overly sweet and fragrant coconut milk, together with the juicy and crunchy water chestnuts, makes this a much sought-after dessert here.  This dessert is best eaten cold and nothing is better than a dessert of Thab Tim Krob to help extinguish the 'fire in your mouth' after a hot and spicy tom yum.

I once tried making these red rubies at home coz it sounded so easy...add red food colouring to your diced water chestnuts, toss in tapioca flour, cook in boiling water and once it floats, it's done....yeah, right...mine didn't turn out like these!  The best thing (for me) would be to just order it when I'm at Thai restaurants ;D

Black Canyon is also very well known for its own brand of coffee...and they offer many on their menu.  I've seen Mexican Iced Coffee (served in a cute boot-shaped glass) and Ancient Coffee, both of which I've not tried before.  My order has always been the Black Canyon Iced Coffee @ RM9.95, something I always order when I'm here as it's my favourite.  Even if I'm not eating, I would make it a point to come in, after my grocery shopping, just for this coffee. 

My Personal Opinion

Although one can find more authentic Thai restaurants elsewhere, the food here is not half bad to satisfy one's quick fix or when one's craving for some Thai food.

I would always have my Tod Mun Pla, Thab Tim Krob whenever I'm here....and their iced coffee, of course.  After all, how can you resist when the tagline for their coffee says "A drink from Paradise....available on Earth"! :D :D

They also offer many 'value for money' sets that are affordably priced for families looking for a complete meal.

Black Canyon Restaurant
G21 Jusco Taman Maluri
Jalan Jejaka
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-9281 1328