THOUGH Shenzhen has thousands of restaurants, there are few Thai restaurants. So, Shenzhen gourmets will be happy to see the opening of Win Thai Restaurant, which offers more than 150 authentic Thai dishes and a good environment in which to enjoy them.

Stepping into Win Thai, diners see small Buddha statues, elephant carvings in small shrines, and textiles with exotic patterns on the wall.

The restaurant owner, Don Mok, loves Thai culture and brought the art and decorations from Thailand. He also brought some fragile china, such as gold and blue sauce containers.

In Mok's mind, a good restaurant is not only a place to eat, but also a place to enjoy tranquility and intimate conversation. Therefore, Win Thai is not as crowded as ordinary restaurants. While sitting on tatami mats and listening to soft Thai music, you can enjoy the delicacies in full.

Thai foods are natural and healthy. Natural herbs, spices and flavorings, rather than artificial ingredients, are used to enhance the flavor of the dishes. For example, lemon and tomato juices are used to enhance the sourness of the dishes. Thais shun large meat portions and the food is served in bite-sized slices, so a knife is not needed.

As a tropical country, Thailand is rich in fruits, which are widely used in the native cuisines. Win Thai offers a variety of fruit-rich foods such as fried pineapple rice, Thai pomelo salad made of seafood, pomelo and lemon juice, and soft shell crab with mango salad -- a delicate and fragrant mixture.

The foods cooked with green curry, one of the spiciest curries, add an especially exotic touch to dining at Win Thai. However, you can also tone down the spiciness with subtler dishes.

The ideal Thai meal is a harmonious blend of the spicy, the subtle and sweet and sour, and one that is meant to be equally satisfying to the eye, nose and palate. Win Thai offers enough choices for such a meal.

Other notable Thai cuisines served there include fried crab with Win Thai yellow curry paste, Win Thai raw prawns and traditional tom yam kung soup.

To ensure the authentic flavors, most of Win Thai's food is imported from Thailand, though similar ingredients can be bought in China at much lower prices. "The tastes are different," said Mok.

Most importantly, Win Thai has four Thai chefs, all of whom have at least 15 years' experience in cooking. Even the smallest food is made with craftsmanship. Take the coconut pudding in a pandan leaf cup as an example. The chef first weaves a small cup of about three centimeters high with a pandan leaf (a Thai herb), adds some sago and then steams the mixture. After a green layer of pudding is formed, the chef fills the box with coconut milk and freezes it until the milk is solid. The small desert has the aroma of the pandan leaf and coconut, tastes slightly sweet and feels soft. Its cook, Naurumon Voranut, has 30 years' experience in making desserts.

Win Thai's high-quality material and experienced chefs make delicious cuisines --- but not cheap ones. The average price of about 100 yuan (US$12.2) per person is a little steep for ordinary consumers. However, just think of the price of trip to Thailand and you may find your money spent at Win Thai is worthwhile.

 
Editor: Wings