Dining Like A Royal Thai At Kiin

If Kiin was an orchestra, then Chef Nuit would be the maestro. Her obsession with the techniques of Royal Thai cooking has resulted in a truly symphonic dining experience.

The quaint restaurant is finely tuned from the decor, the ambiance, the cocktails, and most importantly the menu. The decor echoes regality with a touch of homeyness. The food is inspired by Royal Thai cuisine but there no formalities or customs to follow. Just eat. All the plates are meant for sharing. In a lot of ways, the drinks are too. After one sip, you’ll be passing it to your companion saying “you have to try this.”

Throughout the evening, a medley of flavours carefully danced atop our palettes. With each bite came an explosion of flavours, where each one was enhanced by the presence of the others. We began with the pomelo salad, which was undeniably fresh and big on texture. The combination of pomelo, peanuts, poached shrimp, toasted coconut, lemongrass, sawtooth coriander, and lime fish sauce dressing seemed overwhelming but that was not the case. The lime was more tangy with the addition of fish sauce, the chili more potent with the addition of lime. Spectacular.

For the second movement, we were presented with the Khao Yum, a multi-rice dish that is bursting with pops of purple, blue, yellow, and green. Like the Pomelo salad before it, there was a multitude of ingredients that sat inside the large golden bowl. Should you order the Khao Yum, you’ll find jasmine rice. rice berry white turmeric, long beans, lemongrass, sawtooth coriander, kaffir lime leaves, cucumber, toasted coconut, pomelo, fried chilli, sunflower sprouts, and edible flowers.

After taking our pictures, the waiter poured the accompanying tamarind and soy bean sauce and delicately mixed it all together. When combined, not one flavour overpowers the other. The light floral flavours of the dish were unique and welcome.

This was followed with the Gaeng Boombai, a creamy dish that is made with braised AAA Wellington County beef short rib. The meat fell right off the bone as we scooped it into the fluffy roti that we could not get enough of. The sauce was delectable and unlike anything we had ever tasted.

We could tell that these dishes were meticulously crafted. As we ate, we wondered how Chef Nuit made all of the flavours work so incredibly well. This was a truly amazing culinary experience – if you’re in the area, you need to try it.

Kiin
326 Adelaide St W,
Toronto, ON
M5V 1R3

Words: Jon Carlo Tapia & Felicia Leone 
Photography: Jon Carlo Tapia