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Malai Kitchen ~ Southlake, Texas


Malai Kitchen maintains 3 locations: Southlake, Dallas, and Fort Worth.

Latest visit: Dec 2017 (Southlake)

First visit: Feb 2017 (Southlake)

If Taverna Rossa represents the perfect mix of craft beer and artisan pizza, then how about a Thai brewpub? I mean seriously, are these restaurants tapping into the RJG psyche or what? Strange as it may seem, Thai brewpubs are not unique in the United States. I know of at least two others, one in Denver, and one in Alpine, Wyoming(?!). I'm sure there are more.

I've only been to Malai Kitchen twice to date, and had Mrs. RJG in tow on the last visit. Though the restaurant claims Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, it is definitely the former that defines this fine establishment. Usually it's the other way around. While you can certainly get a nice bowl of pho here, I wouldn't waste the visit, when there's so much great Thai food to be had. As always, I dug right into their variation of basil chicken. On my first visit they allowed for me the minced chicken (used for their lettuce wraps), but on the last it was only chicken breast on offer. Not a big deal, but a bit less authentic. The basil is very fresh and pungent, and I ordered it Thai hot, and they don't kid around here with that. I also asked for a fried egg on top (another Thai tradition), and they flash fried it just right. Really a fantastic recipe with fantastic flavors, and comes in a nice bowl that you can dump the white rice in (or brown if you prefer). Mrs. RJG had the red curry chicken, with chunks of potato and tomatoes. She simply stated it was delicious, and is eager to return. She's a tough customer, so high praise indeed.

On my first visit, I plopped myself at the bar, and enjoyed a couple of their finely crafted beers (a ginger IPA, and a pilsener). Very comfortable, though not a lot of bar stools, so come early if you want a seat. And that would be good advice for the restaurant itself. While lunch was only half full, dinner had a line starting to form as I was finishing up. On our last visit, I once again had the pilsener, but this time tried their "rotation" beer which was a more traditional IPA. I think they do a fine job with the beers myself, considering that is only one part of their operation.

There's a lot of money behind Malai Kitchen, and you will only find them in the more posh areas of DFW. In addition to Southlake, you can find them in Dallas (Uptown - where they started) and Fort Worth (Clearfork naturally). Malai Kitchen in Southlake is practically next door to Taverna Rossa, so the only challenge for the RJG is which one to go to!

2/18/17; 12/28/17 (new entry)
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