Flying Chillies @ The Garden

I have always had a soft spot for tomyam despite it being one of the spiciest and most 'fiesty' soup around. You may be amazed by my devotion towards this food. I remember when I was in Europe for 2 weeks last year, the only food I could think of was tomyam - yes, not nasi lemak, not roti canai, not curry laksa, not char kueh tiao, not pan mee... BUT tomyam!

So one fine day while we were shopping for some stuff in Mid Valley, my colleague suggested that we should have Thai food for lunch, which was much to my delight. He asked if I wanted to try the food at Flying Chillies in The Gardens. Hmmm.... I've always passed by this restaurant but never thought of dining there, partly because I was intimidated by its somewhat classy interior. The decor of the restaurant is top-notch, and I couldn't help wondering if it was just one of those restaurants that only focuses on its interior but serves so-so food at a very high price. My colleague reassured me that the food was good, so half-heartedly, I agreed to give it a try.

Flying Chillies is just one shop away from Sushi Zanmai and next to Spices of India, so it's quite easy to find this restaurant with a bright pinkish sign on top of it.

Our stomach was rumbling like a tiger by the time we sat down, so we ordered quite a number of dishes. To start off the lunch, we ordered Thai Fish Cakes and "Royal Thai Money Bag" (whoa, glamour betuih namanya!) for starters.


The Thai Fish Cakes came in 5pcs, and I was like "wow" after trying one, because it actually tasted very good and the texture was very chewy (even the thought of it now makes me drool).

The Royal Thai Money Bags are very similar to fried wan tons, except that they gave the 'wan tons' a makeover to enhance the look and make it more presentable. Took a bite of it and the skin was crispy, and I took a peek inside the 'money bags' to see what 'treasures' they had in store for us.  

The "Money Bag" was filled with minced chicken, carrots, corns, mushrooms and some other ingredients. Although I would have preferred to have minced pork instead of chicken, I had no complaints over this dish! Oh, and before I forget, they served a small plate of transparent-looking sauce to go with the dish.

We had no idea what it was, but it tasted kinda sweet like honey or sugar, which surprisingly went well with the 'money bags'!

Next on the list was our first main course - Baked River Prawns with Glass Noodles.

I had very high expectations for this dish, however, it did not give me the 'ooomph' that I was anticipating for. The prawns were no doubt huge, but the overall taste was not very pleasing. Maybe because these were river prawns, which explains why they don't taste as good as deep-sea prawns. I don't think it would be fair for me to rate this dish, because there was nothing wrong with the cooking - it was just that I didn't really enjoy the 'river-ish' taste. (The funny part was, we actually finished the whole pot of prawns and glass noodles haha!)


And then came the 'Flying Chillies Special Fire Pot' that we ordered earlier.

The pot of tomyam was not very big, and the soup looked mild to me. It was filled with seafood, and coconut milk was also added into the soup. Now let me warn you here - do not be deceived by its look!! It isn't called the 'fire pot' for no reason, because the soup was extremely, unbelievably, and tremendously spicy! When I took a sip of the soup, it didn't really taste spicy to me until after a few more sips, the spiciness began sending messages of alarm to my tongue! I started perspiring and my eyes started tearing. Even the iced lemongrass drink could not put out the fire in my mouth! The level of spiciness was incredibly insane! BUT, I loved it! I really loved it! Yes, it was spicy, and yes, it sent fire down my spines, but that was the tomyam experience that I desired and would never forget! Gah, it was awesome!



After cooling down from all the fire in my mouth, we had mango with sticky rice for dessert.

The mangoes were sweet and I loved the coconut milk that came with the dish. It gelled pretty well with the rice, giving the rice a refreshing fragrance.



I must say, I was wrong about the restaurant. I judged too soon based on the interior. The food was amazing and even though the price is a bit pricy, I had no regrets. It has won my heart and will definitely be one of my favourite Thai restaurants!



Flying Chillies
Add: Lot T219, 3rd Floor, The Gardens, Mid Valley City.
Tel: 03-2287 7708
Fax: 03-2287 7710
Business hours: 12.00noon-10.00pm