SL’s Birthday Dinner @ Celadon Royal Thai Cuisine, Pavilion

It was SL’s birthday yesterday and we celebrated it over a dinner at Celadon – Royal [tag]Thai Cuisine[/tag] in Pavilion. The first impression on the menu was good enough for us to pick it among the many classy restaurants available. Besides, I was especially attracted by a particular dish – the steamed [tag]crayfish[/tag] in the [tag]lobster[/tag] menu.

The drink SL had was Ice Blended Mocha @ RM14, while I had the Ice Blended Fresh Coconut @ RM13. Taste wise, of course the Mocha was better but the coconut drink was refreshing and had strips of coconut flesh as toppings.

Our first dish to arrive was “Celadon” Tom Yam Seafood flavoured with lime, lemon grass, chilli and hot basil leaves @ RM 22.90 for single serving. A double serving would cost RM42.90. Celadon’s tom yam is available in either thick or clear soup, where the only difference is that the former is cooked with coconut milk.

It had two mussels, a whole squid, a huge prawn, some mushrooms and a scallop too. In my opinion it was really good, seafood was fresh and the soup was spicy enough to provide the dish “kick”. I think it was the best dish of the dinner. For the spiciness level it was indicated by two chillis, which I think is the highest given to a dish in the whole menu.

Next was my Pineapple Fried Rice @ RM17.90. As described in the menu, it was an authentic pineapple fried rice with fresh prawns topped with chicken floss. When I saw it the first thing that came to mind was its huge portions.

Like many other Thai restaurants it was served in a hollowed-out halved pineapple to give a more “pineapple” feeling, as well as charging more for it, lol. I counted and there were five medium sized prawns with their “vein” (black part on the back) removed.
I would have given the dish a better rating if they used sea prawns instead of fresh water prawns. As much as I wanted to believe sea prawns were used, my palate told me otherwise because I couldn’t detect the texture and freshness from the prawns’ flesh. Since the prawns were pretty much tasteless, the fried rice had to be saved by a side ingredient – raisins, which provided much needed sweet flavor to the dish.

We also had Pandan Chicken (deep-fried marinated chicken in pandan leaves) that cost RM16.90 for four pieces. They were well seasoned and marinated so they were not salty at all, something I usually worry about when ordering Pandan Chicken.

Sweet and spicy condiment that came with the Pandan Chicken.

And finally, the dish I had high hopes for.. Steamed Crayfish “Yabbies” with lime and chilli sauce @ RM32.90. It was the cheapest item on the lobster menu.. with the rest costing at least RM150 and above. So, I basically ordered the one I could afford, lol. They certainly looked like small lobsters, and I think they are imported as well because I have never seen them in local seafood restaurants.

They sure looked big if compared to prawns, thanks to their huge heads which were at least triple their body size. Despite this, they had very little meat to be enjoyed for their body size were probably as big as my thumb, lol. And since the crayfish was imported they were not at the optimal level of freshness too. After seeing them appear in so many Western cooking shows, my first try with crayfish was disappointingly a so-so experience only. Total damage for dinner: RM140 inclusive of 10% government and 5% service tax.

Lot 6.37, Level 6,
Pavilion KL,
Jln Raja Chulan,
50200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-21488708