Thai Chi

On the face of it, throwing together two different cuisines (Thai and Chinese, if you hadn’t guessed from the name) might seem a little laboured. Like opening a restaurant that mixes Russian and Italian cooking 3 Reviews

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On the face of it, throwing together two different cuisines (Thai and Chinese, if you hadn’t guessed from the name) might seem a little laboured. Like opening a restaurant that mixes Russian and Italian cooking. But after the starters were served at Wafi City’s Thai Chi, all thoughts of heavy-handed culinary stereotyping were put firmly to the back of our minds. To begin with Thai Chi is a good-looking eatery – a sprawling, multi-chambered restaurant with wooden floors and bamboo fittings that has the obligatory ornate water feature snaking its way around its diners.

The menu is split in two: the front half Thai, the back Chinese, and we kicked off with Thai. The starters were hearty yet delicately flavoured with the prawn toast, complemented by a sweet dipping sauce that tasted suspiciously of lime, proving to be a highlight. The vegetable spring rolls, so often an unspectacular default for vegetarians, were light, crunchy, and livened up by an oily satay sauce. Happy with our starters, we decided to stick with Thai for the main courses and were treated to an exceptional and delicately-spiced duck red curry. It was put in the shade, however, by a vegetable green curry, whose magnificently creamy, lemongrass-infused broth enveloped huge chunks of garden vegetable.

In the interest of fairness, we decided to finish our meal with Chinese desserts, which proved to be an adequate dénouement to an excellent meal. The almond tofu was subtly flavoured, although swimming in an unnecessary sea of chopped fruit, whilst the red bean crêpe was smooth, flavoursome and just sweet enough. Thai Chi is a reliable bet for some eastern exoticism, skipping between two different culinary countries with authenticity and flair.

The bill (for two)
Poa pia tord (Vegetable spring rolls) Dhs42
Khanom pang nagoong (Prawn toast) Dhs43
Gaeng Ped Pet Yang (duck red curry) Dhs65
Gaeng khiew waan gal (vegetable green curry) Dhs50
Almond tofu Dhs26
Red bean pancake Dhs25
Total (including service) Dhs251

• Previous reviews
  • 30 March,2009- reviewed by Time Out Dubai staff
  • 26 March,2008- reviewed by Jeremy Lawrence
  • 12 March,2007- reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff
  • 30 April,2006- reviewed by Time Out Dubai
  • 01 July,2004- reviewed by Rob Orchard
  • 01 July,2003- reviewed by Rob Orchard
  • 01 August,2002- reviewed by Carolyn Robb
  • 01 May,2002- reviewed by Carolyn Robb

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