PRESS - InFocus Magazine_April_May 2008.indd

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PRESS - InFocus Magazine_April_May 2008.indd

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• Publié par: uxygivid
• Nombre de lectures: 100
• Langue: Français
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

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Dining Out A Taste of Thailand Kinaree Thai Cuisine mixes traditional flavors with healthy, modern fare . . . By Laura Busheikin S M  asir olutaestauranelaxed roof   .dsi teht  d aneral  KAta-in  sercsnah  e tsaocushe fi, te ha t  gnipeek no si  ths e’ Hm.oo rhetua tneh ,cilihwthe foe  todlyru ekper-seopdnni g e  perfect host,  yra che ttoormpteon ing tabs on all the details, help- Western preference for light, ing with service when needed,  healthy food. conversing easily with the many he desire to show Canadi- people he knows, checking in  ans authentic hai food is what graciously with those he doesn’t  motivated Ma’s entry into the recognize. You get the feeling he  restaurant business. He was just could be taking care of guests in  17 in 1988 when he and his older his own living room, but in fact,  brother left Bangkok to live in he’s running a restaurant.  Canada. heir instructions were “It’s my job to make sure to spec it out and report back everything goes smoothly—  to their parents. hey landed in actually, goes perfectly,” explains Winnipeg. One of the things Ma, co-owner with his wife,  they noticed was that hai food Pasthida Ma, of Kinaree h ai in  was very popular, so they went to Downtown Courtenay.  a couple of hai restaurants. “I Pasthida is the head chef  wouldn’t say the food was bad, and kitchen manager, and Ma  but we were disappoint d ” e , says takes care of everything else,  Ma diplomatically. “It wasn’t the “from the toothpicks on up,” he same as the food in hailand. ” explains. he most important  His brother decided to open part of that “everything else,” a restaurant, with Ma’s help, he says, is creating a welcoming  that would serve genuine h ai atmosphere. food.  hat’s where Ma learned “This has been my goal  the ropes of the food service “I want people to come here and be happy and relaxed,” says Soulat Ma, who owns Kinaree Thai Cuisine with his with the restaurant. From the  industry.  by Boomer Jerritt Phototheir two kids at the restaurant). “The food speaks for itself.”wife Pasthida (above with beginning I wanted to build a  On one of his trips home restaurant that would be part of  to hailand for a visit, Ma met welcoming from the beginning,” versions of hai Noodle Soup. he fish is nestled in a salad with people’s daily lives that would Pasthida. “I fell in love with says Ma. “People were very All the combinations come with slices of crunchy green apple feel like part of their family. I  her because her cooking was so appreciative, very warm. It was salad and Kinaree’s special h ai and toasted cashews in a tangy, want people to come here and be amazing!” says Ma, a twinkle in amazing.” Curiosity about a dressing. delicate hai dressing. happy and relaxed, and to enjoy  his eye. Pasthida had learned to new hai restaurant may be what he five-page dinner menu Stir-fried Curry Prawns is a a lovely evening. he restaurant  cook as a child from her mother, brought people through the door offers appetizers, salads, and fi sh, house specialty and comes with should feel like community ”  and had worked in her sister-in- the first time, but the quality of seafood, meat and vegetarian en- hai creamy sauce with plenty , says Ma.  law’s restaurant. the food is what brought them trees. Dishes range from spicy to of celery, onion and bell pep- The Mas chose the name  As often happens with love, back, says Ma. “he food speaks mild. All the tantalizing flavors pers. he prawns are succulent, Kinaree to embody their vision  one thing led to another and for itself.” and ingredients of hai food are the vegetables done just right, of a relaxed and gracious dining eventually Pasthida moved to The restaurant has many here—the rich spice blends of and the sauce unfolds in layers experience. “We liked the soft  Winnipeg to be with Ma. h ey regulars, both for lunch and red, green and yellow curries; the of flavor. sounds of the word,” says Ma. got married, had two children, dinner. Ma has become friendly silky sweetness of coconut milk; Five-flavored Chicken, an- The Kinaree is a figure from  worked in the restaurant busi- with many of them, and makes the tang of lime; the assertiveness other house specialty, is a famous the ancient hai legend of the  ness… and began to tire of the a point of listening to their of cilantro and mint, the subtlety Thai dish of crispy chicken Himmapan Forest, inhabited by  Winnipeg winters. desires. of lemongrass; the crunch of served in a medley of fresh fruits magical creatures. Described as a  “I heard there was no winter “Because we’re close to peanuts and cashews. and cashew nuts. he pineapple beautiful half-woman, half-swan,  in the Comox Valley,” says Ma, downtown, we heard from peo- In creating and adapting and grapes complement the the Kinaree embodies excellence  with that twinkle again. “I ple that they wanted to come in the menu, Ma has paid heed to chicken and nuts in both texture in singing and dancing, and her was told you can go fishing all for a quick lunch. So we created his clients’ requests for healthy and flavor, offering a cleansing graceful form is often depicted  year round.” he Mas wanted our lunch combination menu,” choices. “You can have a low-fat counterpoint to the rich spices of in sculpture, traditional archi- to open their own restaurant, says Ma. meal here,” he says. the sauce. he dishes are served tecture and temple murals. A  and Courtenay seemed like the The lunch combination When I go to Kinaree for with delicately flavored coconut bronze statue of Kinaree sits in  perfect place. “It’s a great place menu offer 12 choices ranging a meal, Ma selects dishes for jasmine rice. the restaurant, complementing  to bring up kids. here’s a great from the classic peanut-topped me that particularly reflect the Ma explains that hai food, other hai art mounted on the  sense of community; people are noodle dish, Pad hai, to Drunk- healthy eating standard. properly prepared, enhances deep red walls.  very nice, very friendly.” en Noodle, a rice noodle dish In the Fish Apple Salad, digestion. he herbs and spices Ma obviously enjoys the  When Kinaree hai opened with vegetables in oyster sauce, chunks of fish are marinated and are not just for flavor. hey also “everything else” of running a its doors in September 2006, it to Red Curry Chicken with deep fried in a miraculously light help us process food by stimulat- restaurant, but when it comes  was a welcome addition to the Rice, as well as the vegetarian batter. Deep fried doesn’t have ing the digestive system. down to it, he insists that the community. Mixed Vegetables and Tofu with to mean greasy, says Ma, and this On the other hand, when it most important element of the  “The reception was very Rice. here are three different dish certainly proves him right. comes to food, now and then it

12) —InFocus Magazine April / May 2008