Sanoook @ Pavilion Elite

Pavilion Elite, the new extension in the mall, is now home to so many new eating places in Pavilion, it's absolutely bonkers!  We've not even skimmed the surface of what this mall has to offer in terms of dining options and now more restaurants are added to make the list even longer.

One such new addition is Sanoook @ Pavilion Elite, a Thai-Japanese fusion restaurant (which has another outlet in Sunway Pyramid) that may seem to be a good choice if you have one half of your eating party liking Thai and the other half liking Japanese.

Well, if you don't know what Sanoook (with an extra 'o') means, this picture frame on the wall says it all.

We started with a recommended dish on their menu of Deep-Fried Crab Meat with Salted Egg & Minced Chicken in Crab Shells (or Pooja) @ RM16.90 (2 pcs) from the Thai Specialities Section.  I was influenced to order this dish when I read a review which shared that it was something similar to a Chinese dish which made me recall and think of my mom's version instantly.

But my mom's version was a filling made with a mixture of probably minced crab, fish and prawns with finely chopped vegetables like "sengkuang" (jicama), carrots and spring onions.  The filling is then stuffed back into the crab shell and deep fried...but the filling is very flat unlike this one.  I was taken aback when I saw just how thick and protruding the filling was when it was served (which some might say value for money).

Unfortunately, this was nothing like the tasty version my mom made.  Although it had a crisp exterior, the filling was very dense and not as pleasant to eat.  The overly abundant filling made it rather cloying + I couldn't taste any crab meat or salted egg.  In the end, the supporting cast of frizzy egg shreds, crispy noodles and fragrant crisp curry leaves was better than the main star! @_@

Another sharing plate was the Salmon Skewer @ RM25.90 (4 sticks) with a choice of Sanook Sauce or Lime & Chilli (we chose the latter).  Some grilled vegetables of corn on the cob, green tomato (kinda hard) and cucumber sitting on top of something gooey (which I think is cheese + maybe mashed potatoes) round up the dish.

The salmon skewer that we got was not properly grilled and didn't have those nice char marks that we craved. In fact, it looked like we got steamed salmon instead! >.<  It was under seasoned, was cooked all the way through and had a very dry texture.  In short, it was nothing like the picture I saw on a blog.  Obviously, an execution inconsistency.  Not something I enjoyed eating would be putting it lightly.

We ordered a rice dish next, the Seafood Green Curry Fried Rice @ RM22.90.  I like Fried Rice.  I've enjoyed Green Curry before.  So, why not a green curry fried rice, I thought.  It was an interesting combination and I wanted to see if the combo works.

I think it did.  The seafood fried rice contained a few fairly fresh, good-sized prawns, some squid and came topped with chunks of salted egg.  It had all the flavours a good green curry should be.  Since it was fried with green curry, expect the rice to be a little bit wetter than the norm.  Also, fans of non-spicy food, beware as the fried rice is quite spicy...a little fiery, in fact! ^_^  And don't be misled by the 'innocent-looking' serving of the rice in a big spoon....it was a very big spoon (!) and housed a portion good enough for two or a very filling portion for one.

Also from the Rice & Noodles Section, we went with a Phad Thai Noodles with Prawns @ RM21.90 to complete our meal which was served with separate condiments of crushed peanuts and dry chilli flakes.

The Phad Thai was respectable with good-sized prawns, crisp strips of fried tofu and crunchy raw bean sprouts.

Toss in as much (or as little) of the crushed peanuts and chilli flakes you want and give it a good mix, with a squeeze of the fresh lime, and you're in for a treat.

For drinks, we went with mocktails of Sanoook Punch @ RM11.90 which is a mixture of mango, pineapple, grapefruit & grenadine and Slapping Beauty (not Sleeping Beauty), a combo of aloe vera, honey & apple also @ RM11.90.  I know it's the 'in-thing' these days for restaurants to have cute names for their drinks but sometimes it borders on being ridiculous (there's one here called "Shirley Goes to Thai Temple")!

Give the Sanoook Punch a good stir and the vibrant red of the grenadine comes to the fore.  I found it too sweet for my liking (the Slapping Beauty is the less sweet of the two).  So, the drinks here obviously suit those who like their drinks sweet.

On a side note, this place gets my vote for the most ridiculous plate I've ever come across.  With a heart shape embossed on the plate, the ridges of which made it difficult and impractical to eat from.  Even the fork and spoon had difficulty staying in place on the plate when put down.  I guess, besides good food, good presentation, good ambience, good service, you need an eye for good tableware too.....LOL! ;P

My Personal Opinion

The majority of the menu leans towards Thai specialities with Japanese offerings making up a small part of the menu only.  The few that I tried, I have to say the Thai dishes made a more positive impact.

The food I've managed to try here is average at best (though there's still plenty to try as the menu is quite extensive).  Prices may be a little on the high side (for both types of cuisine, especially the desserts) but some of the Thai dishes do come in generous portion-sizes.  I'm not sure if I'm convinced to order from the Japanese section of the menu again since they failed to nail the salmon skewer which I thought is one of the easiest things to execute.

Managed by the fine folks of Chakri (of which I had the pleasure of dining before), I think the Thai dishes here are still worth checking out as they certainly won't be as expensive as Chakri.  Just don't go in with too high an expectation and you should come off satisfied. 

Sanoook
Lot 1.104 Level 1 Pavilion Elite
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 93-2110 5756