Thai Pavilion is back

How do you want to greet the New Year?
a) Getting jostled in the buffet line while your man rubbernecks to glimpse Mallika Sherawat onstage.
b) Nimbly side-stepping the results of teenyboppers bingeing on unlimited alcohol.
c) Sharing a fabulous meal with your significant other in a sophisticated restaurant with an intensely romantic moment for dessert.

If it’s c) you’re looking for, Trendy’s got just the place. Thai Pavilion, after delighting you for 10 years, had taken some time off to reinvent itself. You’ll be surprised how Exec Chef Ananada Solomon has managed to improve on perfection in the new avatar, from designer Noriyoshi Muramatsu’s décor to the little white pill that magically grows into a refreshing towel when they pour water over it. And the food, of course. He takes Thai cuisine from the pedestrian to the palace-like, drawing from the king’s kitchens, with authentic ingredients, complex flavours and harmony in the various dishes that makes the meal not just nourishing for the body, but also for the soul.

Pick anything from the opulent purple silk menu and you’re likely to like it. Our Trendy Taster loved the delicate Vegetable Soufflé with Lotus Roots and the textures of the Raw Mango Salad with Water Chestnuts. For romance, share some excellent Satay or save the best for last as you spoon custard for each other from an imported baby pumpkin.

2008 looks promising.

Thai Pavilion, Taj President, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai; Tel: 66650808; Meal for two, without alcohol, starts at Rs 2,000.