Thailand is a country full of exotic colors. Thai food currently enjoys worldwide popularity with its great variety of delicious regional forms.

Thai food is both delicious and healthy. The ideal Thai meal is a harmonious blend of the spicy, the subtle, the sweet and the sour. It is, and is designed to be equally pleasingto the eye, nose and palate. Simply Thai is one of the oldest Thai restaurants in Shanghai, and it not only provides exquisite cuisines, but also offers spa and other lifestyle products. It now has four locations. One is located in a two-story house and garden on quiet  and peaceful Dongping Road. You may not been first attracted by its simple and unassuming door, but inside, the décor is all Thai, including stone wall carvings and statues. The handmade stone carvings on the wall and the handmade tableware is from the north of Thailand. The colors are dark, warm red, and gold and earthtones.

The dark red wall and the ashen mud ground provide customers a feeling that they are actually in fantastic Thailand. Tom Yum seafood soup (RMB45) is classic and the most popular dish at Simply Thai. It consists of an array of fish, shrimp and squid. This soup has just the right amount of Thai herbs such as lemon grass, galangal root (Chinese ginger – tasting like a cross between ginger and pepper), and Thai (kaffir) lime leaves to tantalize your taste buds. With its sour and spicy taste, it is an aromatic broth that heightens people’s senses. Fried fish cakes (RMB55/6 piecescs) are made entirely with fish - no starch is added.  The dipping sauce sauce used accompanying the dish is one of my favorites: peanuts, garlic and spices.  It arouses my appetite just thinking about dipping in. It’s hard to describe what indeed makes the sauce so tasty. Maybe you should experience it yourself.

After the meal, sago and coconut pudding wrapped in panda leaves (RMB35/6 pieces) is a good choice. The ffull-bodied coconut milk pudding is infused with tasty and refreshing sago and sweet corn and then wrapped in a two-inch packet of panda leaves (a fur-like coating). Though small, they are irresistible. I found myself clamoring for more after only having two of them. The business lunch set menu is RMB138 per person with several choices of entrees, including chicken with cashews and basil, minced beef sautéwith basil and red and green curries. Both are well worth a try.

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