Cruisin’ with the Crustaceans at Benjarong

Paired with the exquisites of a royal ambience, dim lighting and soothing music, Benjarong spells romantic from the minute you step in. I don’t know why, but I have somehow always associated romantic dinners to Thai cuisine. And honestly, two out of three times that I have been out on date nights of late, have been Thai restaurants, with the next one already on my wishlist.

So let’s just say this: Benjarong lived up to my expectations of being an ideal spot to ignite that spark. Did I mention there were Thai strings being played while we dined? Yes. And the performer playing that instrument was oh so sweet. So were all their staff. Well, the Thai are known for their hospitality, and at Benjarong, they keep up to that level with their smiling faces and humble tones. I would make a special mention here about David, who assisted us with our food and drink choices throughout the evening, and made sure we were well taken care of. And look at that menu. Back home, it would almost be mistaken for a wedding album. So unique, so elite.

But that not all that this restaurant is known for. There’s the food too. One of the few gems of Dusit Thani Dubai, this restaurant has come up with an exclusive September Seafood menu – Cruisin’ with Crustaceans – that offers an immaculate selection of seafood dishes featuring the freshest crabs, lobsters, scallops, and mussels in Thai preparations.

Read on to find out what we tried and what we loved. Yes, there is something that I loved like none other ever, and you will read about that soon.

Tom Yum Gai Rue Goong

While it’s true that you can never go wrong with a Tom Yum soup, you will definitely be in the wrong if you go to a Thai restaurant and don’t order one of these.
Not a part of their Crustaceans menu, but a worthy seafood item nonetheless, we opted for the Prawn Tom Yum soup at Benjarong. First up, it’s important to know the Thai name of this dish. Although I might not be able to pronounce this if you were to ask me in person, the soup is traditionally called Tom Yum Gai Rue Goong. Apart from the juicy prawns that were the highlight of this spicy broth, it was souped up with mushrooms, lemongrass, lime juice and roasted chilli paste that gave it a slightly tangy, and mostly spicy flavor. But we love our tom yum with an exaggerated level of spiciness, which is why we got a little extra in terms of fresh chillies.

This portion priced at AED 60 was good enough for two people.
Well, if I had an option, I wouldn’t bat an eyelid before deciding to have the entire portion myself. But I knew there was more Thai goodness coming my way, which is why I (reluctantly) agreed to share the soup with my date. Sshhh… don’t tell him though.

Som Pooma

I’m scared of crabs. There, I said it. Eating crabs, especially breaking and eating them is an art, one that I am not good at. Well, not yet. But Benjarong has put together such a lovely Cruisin’ with Crustaceans menu for September, it wouldn’t have been fair to not try anything from it.

I was luckily given the liberty to try a mix of some bestsellers from their regular menu and anything I would like from the seafood menu, which is why I chose this papaya salad from the latter. I was slightly confused between crab and lobster. They both pose a challenge for me. But the crab seemed slightly humble, if I must.

 

The Som Pooma came with tangy shredded green papaya mixed with crunchy peanuts, and topped with fried blue crab. The crab was a marvel. Although it took me a little while to observe the crustacean and figure out how to get the meat out, every second invested was worth it.
Plus that presentation made it all the more appealing. And that yellow pepper on the side with fresh veggie sticks was such a pretty sight.

Phad Thai

After the prawn Tom Yum and crab salad, we shifted slightly away from seafood and headed over to our beloved poultry – chicken. Another Thai essential – the Phad Thai noodles at Benjarong are deemed bestsellers. And I can vouch for that. The stir-fried rice noodles perfectly capture all the Thai flavors in their sauce that’s predominantly tamarind based and is dotted with tofu, bean sprouts and ground peanuts.

What really takes the cake is the presentation. The pepper floral accent to the side and the netted garnish take this basic Thai speciality up a notch. How many Phad Thai lovers here?

Gaeng Phed & Khao Soey

Thai curry is a must, isn’t it? Honestly, I would eat it everyday if I had to. But unfortunately my home cooked Thai curry doesn’t live up to my taste expectations. Which is why I keep looking out for places like Benjarong to satisfy my curry cravings.
More often than not, you would have seen Thai Green Curry on my timeline. So this time we played things a little different and chose to try the Thai Red Curry. They aren’t different from each other at all, except for the color. While the former features red chillies in a dried form, the latter comes with red chilli paste that gives this curry its color.

The Gaeng Phed, as it is called in Thai, is a rich coconut and chili based red curry with eggplants and sweet basil leaves. While the coconut milk lends a creamy consistency, the chili pieces give it that spicy flavor and makes this curry a proper must have.

We ordered the red curry with chicken and a side of steamed Jasmine rice, also known as Khao Soey.

Kra-ti

I could wait all my life for one serving of this. Really. I mean it.
This is the most incredible, highly impressive and stunningly extra-ordinary coconut ice cream I’ve ever had. And my choice of words don’t even do half the justice it deserves.

I really hope Benjarong welcomes diners who are only there for desserts, because I am definitely going back for this. And even if they want me to order something else, I will happily do so. All in return for this heavenly piece of absolute satisfaction at the end of the meal.
The extremely creamy and coconutty ice cream Kra-ti comes with roasted peanuts that balance the creaminess with their crunchy.

Having spoken so much about this, I’m definitely going to get sweet coconut dreams tonight.
What’s your take on coconut ice cream? Love, hate or obsessed like me?

Benjarong

Location: Level 24, Dusit Thani Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, Trade Centre Area, Dubai
Contact: 04 3174515 | 04 3433333