Chang

Special thanks to Chang Thai Restaurant for extending this food review invitation.

All Seasons Place is a 3-floor strip mall in Farlim. Developed by Belleview, the mall is home to a number of restaurants especially on the ground floor.

Today's visit to All Seasons Place is to review Chang Thai Restaurant. This restaurant has been previously rebranded from Tomyummy Noodles House (东炎不败). As a side note, Chang Thai Restaurant is named after Chang Beer (เบียร์ช้าง), a popular brand of lager in Thailand. The word "chang" (ช้าง) itself means "elephant".

As the name implies, Chang Thai Restaurant specializes in mainstream Thai cuisine. Expanding on dishes formerly offered by Tomyummy, Chang's menu covers substantially more Thai delicacies such as chicken, pork, seafood, vegetables, rice and noodles.

The first dish is Steamed Fish With Lime, Garlic & Chilies (ปลานึ่งมะนาว, RM40.00). The barramundi (siakap) is served in sour-and-spicy gravy, which is prepared from chicken stock, lime, garlic and chili peppers. Garnished with coriander, the fish is kept warm in a fish-shaped hot pot.

White Tom Yum Soup (ต้มยำน้ำใส) is another iconic dish in most Thai restaurants. The soup is infused with appetizing flavors of lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and chili peppers. There are two versions of this dish: chicken (ต้มยำไก่, RM20.00) and seafood (ต้มยำทะเล, RM25.00). For the latter, its major ingredients are shrimps, squid, clams, fish, oyster mushrooms, tomato and red chili peppers.

The next dish, Claypot Glass Noodle With Prawns (ผัดวุ้นเส้น, RM20.00), is also quite tasty. The translucent noodle (วุ้นเส้น) is made from mung bean starch. With a soft texture, the noodle presents a pleasant mouthfeel especially while it is warm. Also included in the claypot are several large shrimps.

One of my favorite dishes here is Asam Sauce Stir Fried Petai With Minced Pork (หมูผัดสะตอภาคใต้, RM18.00). Stink beans, also known as "petai" in Malaysia, is a vegetable with a peculiar smell. Although tasteless on its own, petai is prized for its crunchy texture.

Deep Fried Prawn Cake (ทอดมันกุ้ง, RM18.00) is a doughnut-shaped patty made from minced shrimps. The cake is deep-fried to produce a scrumptious layer of crisp on the surface. More often than not, this snack is enjoyed with sweet chili sauce (น้ำจิ้มไก่).

Moving on to desserts, Grass Jelly With Longan & Lemon (RM6.90) is an excellent remedy for thirst. The bowl of refreshing syrup contains a generous amount of pitted longan fruit, sea coconut and grass jelly (เฉาก๊วย). Meanwhile, lemon juice gives this dessert a sharp citrus taste.

As for beverages, Cha Yen (ชาเย็น, RM6.50) and Cha Kheiyw Yen (ชาเขียวเย็น, RM6.50) are wildly popular in Thailand especially among youngsters. Both iced drinks contain a respectable amount of evaporated milk. Meanwhile, Nom Yen (นมเย็น, RM6.50) is a combination of snake fruit syrup and condensed milk. However, I feel that this pink-colored drink is too sweet for me.

The dishes at Chang Thai Restaurant are quite authentic as most of its ingredients are sourced from Thailand. Thai cuisine is heavily dependent on the chef's mastery of herbs and spices. Therefore, consistency is often the major challenge in many Thai restaurants. Overall, most dishes that I tasted here today pass with flying colors.

Name: Chang Thai Restaurant
Address: 6G-1-15, All Seasons Place, Lebuhraya Thean Teik, 11500 Air Itam, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-826-1063
Business hours: 11:00am-4:00pm, 5:00pm-10:00pm (Sunday), 11:00am-4:00pm, 6:00pm-10:00pm (Monday-Saturday)
Website: https://www.facebook.com/chang.allseasonsplace
Coordinates: 5.39673 N, 100.29075 E
Directions: Chang Thai Restaurant is a shop at the Ground Floor of All Seasons Place. The mall provides parking spaces at the front of the shops, as well as the sheltered section at the back.