Cycle 14 – Item 272
4 (Wed) October 2023
Rice Topped with Soft Shell Crab Yellow Curry
3.0
at Mahachai
-Seongsu, Seongdong, Republic of Korea-
with W, ES
Mahachai is a Thai restaurant. Part of a budding chain that includes 2 locations, both in Seongsu.
The original restaurant is located adjacent to the former E-Mart HQ, so I’d seen the signage countless times while driving by, always intending to visit, but never got a chance. This second branch across from Seoul Forest is within walking distance of work.
Along with Tex-Mex (see for example 14.152 (“Korean-Style”) Chicken Burrito (sans Pepperoni) (with Cheese!)), Thai is the latest cuisine that amateur restaurateurs in Korea believe that they can pull off without any real expertise/experience (see for example 14.079 Kung Phat Phong Curry). The biggest red light of inauthenticity would seem to be the menu’s lack of actual Thai “curry” (kaeng), in favor of only egg curry (pong garee) – this would be like a Korean restaurant offering only lamb for tabletop grilling, but not pork or beef. A second warning sign is ridiculously high prices for simple items, such as stir-fried morning glory, suggesting that management believes the dish to be exotic enough to warrant a premium price, even though anyone in the know knows that it’s not worth it – this would be like a Korean restaurant charging for banchan, even kimchi.
As a threshold matter, the aroma of fish sauce was apparent immediately upon entering the restaurant, very promising. I’d wager that many of Thai restaurants in Korea use very little fish sauce.
The food was pretty good. Despite the lack of actual Thai “curry” on the menu, I was happy to give the egg curry a try – one of my favorite dishes, actually. The price was very reasonable – just 13,500 won for a rice plate, even though most places charge at least 30,000 won for a full serving. Not that great in flavor or texture, but everything tasted authentic.
Definitely worth another shot.
(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)
(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)