Cafe 9 – A Taste of Thai @ Section 17, PJ

Let’s face it, it’s hard to find a restaurant that offers both good food and value for price in Klang Valley. Moreover, in this depressing economy that we find ourselves in. So if you are like me always looking for a good bang for your buck, then Cafe 9 should be on your list of restaurants to dine at.

The Prawn Cakes @ RM18.90 is a house special and it definitely earned its place on the menu. These delicious donut-shaped prawn cakes were moist and succulent on the inside and crispy on the outside. Made with minimal filler, you can really taste the sweetness of the prawns in the cakes. It’s also paired with a well-made plum sauce for dipping – just like how it’s traditionally served in Thailand.

There’s nothing to complain about the Tom Yum Seafood (available in red or clear) @ RM25.90, it was prepared with a touch of coconut milk and tasted exactly like it’s supposed to be. The flavour was spot on and hit all the right notes of spicy and sour.

But it was the Chili Paste Clams @ RM15.90 that impressed us the most. I have to say this is one of the better lala dish in town and surprisingly it can be found at a Thai restaurant instead of the Chinese ‘dai chao’ where they usually cook it in ‘kam heong’ style. For the price Cafe 9 is charging, this is quite a steal because the portion size is like double to triple of what you get at other places.
I also like that they kept this dish faithful to its name and prepared it spicy. In fact, it’s even spicier than the tom yum. This awesomely delicious dish has an amazing gravy that’s infused with the sweet taste of clams and also had a hint of coconut milk for the extra aroma. The clams were properly purged too and tasted fresh instead of having some kind of ‘dead’ or frozen taste. Highly recommended stuff.

I have mixed feelings over the Stuffed Chicken Wings @ RM19.90. Like the lala earlier, the portion is generous even though there are only three wings. No doubt they were great, not oily and also managed to stay crispy throughout the meal.
But I feel they might have gone slightly overboard on the amount of glass noodles and carrots for the stuffing – so much so that you can’t really taste the meat inside.

Lastly, some greens to complete the meal and it turned out unexpectedly good. Again looking at the portion size, you simply can’t argue with the price they’re charging for the Stir Fried Kangkung (Thai style) @ RM10.90.

We were stuffed to the gills by the end of the meal and decided to skip desserts. For drinks, we had a Thai Lemon Tea @ RM9.90 (forgettable) and Guava Asam Boi @ RM10.90. Coffee (Lavazza beans) is also available and could be a better choice here.

To be frank, we did not anticipate the dishes to have such large servings. When the food arrived we were like “can we even finish these?” So as not to waste anything, the two of us shared a plate of rice and we did finish everything. They might not look like a lot on photos but the amount of food we had could have be shared easily among 4-5 people.

If you are craving for Thai food and don’t want to spend too much for a satisfying meal, Cafe 9 really fits the bill. The easiest way to look for Cafe 9 is to go to Kanna Curry House near the old Rothman roundabout, as it is located just next door.
For extra savings, make a reservation ahead with Offpeak and enjoy up to 25% discount on your meal. Smartphone users should also consider downloading Offpeak’s mobile app (available in Android and iOS) to discover the latest dining offers in town.

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