Some say nothing is better than coming home, while others share the thought that nothing is better than leaving home. Me, I made a home everywhere I lived. Yes, it's difficult to pick yourself up every time and move, but you cannot not make a place home because of fear, worry and the thought of departure.

 

One has the freedom of making his or her home in a city or country different from his or her birth place. Naturally, the place where one is born, grows up, has friends and family, learns the first tricks of life (the talking, the smiling, the cheating at games, the hiding your little mistakes from your parents) will never change and should not be forgotten or dismissed when better, more suitable places are discovered. One's roots are a fact, not a choice.

 

I was born in Romania. Eastern Europe, for those not familiar with the region, and the only country of Latin origin in the part of continent. We speak Romanian, a mix of Italian/ Spanish (we have the Roman Empire to thank for) and Slavic, Turkish and Greek words. We have a beautiful country with mountains (Carpatians), hills and sea cost (the Black Sea). Our border with Bulgaria is defined by the Danube, who spills in the Black Sea on our territory and creates an amazing delta. We celebrate Christmas and Easter. We invented insulin and the world's first jet aircraft. We also invented Dracula.

 

Throughout centuries, we picked up bits and pieces of culture from the empires and powers ruling over the country. Superstitions, habits, ways of conducting ourselves. We are a family oriented nation, where one rarely moves far from home, unless forced by circumstances. We like to have large lunches and dinners, surrounded by loved ones, that extend well into the hours of the night, over coffees, backgammon, chats and wine. We cook uncomprehendable amounts of food for no special occassion than the love of food and eating.

 

However, living in a Muslim country makes Romanian food quite difficult to cook and find. While many of the dishes from the coast are developed around seafood (obviously) and those from the mountain around potatoes and stews, all territories share one love: pork. There is no Christmas without pork.

In life, we all look for "the other half", our soul mate. If we ever find it or not, that's debatable and always up for discussion. Some believe in it, some don't. People, as well as times, change, evolve. If we do it together or not, that also depends who you ask and at what point in their life. Love, amongst humans, is always a game, a play, tragedy or comedy, happily ever after or not. Italian food, for me, it's the place I always go back to, my never changing my time, my soul mate in terms of food, my home. Food is a part of who I am. If it defines me or not, that is up for discussion. To some extent, it does, I guess. But yes, when food is "you", then you want to be "complete": you want to try (as much as possible, as often as possible, as varied as possible), you want to challenge yourself (why else would I eat crocodile, camel, crickets and the likes), you want to experience. You want to push your boundaries and gain knowledge and, ultimately, find your "thing". Your favourite thing to eat, theone you cannot live without, your comfort food, your "go-to" dish when inspiratation hits a low.

 

This is my relationship with Thai food. I haven't been to Thailand (yet. It was on my "to-do" list for 2013, but it will not happen. It is unfair to give Thailand only a week of your time when there is much to try, to see, to explore, to experience.), hence I haven't tried Thai food in Thailand. Most people would then not take my opinion into account, based on my lack of experience in "Thai food made in Thailand", but even so I know my stuff; I ate in plenty of restaurants to make the difference between good food and bad food. That's all we all want, at the end of the day, right?

 

Tuesday night (the 27th of August 2013, to be specific) was one of those nights when I was desperate for something old and something new. Something I like, my "go-to", but revamped, new, different. This is how (and why) I found myself in Royal Buddha, in Holiday Inn, in Al Barsha (in Dubai, in U.A.E., on planet Earth, in this galaxy), sitting across the table from a good friend, talking over sparkling water and a weird mocktail called "Transfusion" (by the way, Royal Buddha serves "magic" beverages a.k.a. wine and beer and the likes, but driving and drinking don't go hand in hand in Dubai. Or anywhere else.)

 

Entering Royal Buddha feels like leaving Dubai and travelling somewhere else (I wouldn't go as far as calling it a "teleportation machine" though. But it was a good feeling, a peace and tranquility rarely found in this city that never sleeps). The interior design and decorations are Asian-inspired, but they are not over-bearing, they are not the "Asia-in-your-face" type; besides the golden Buddha statue in the middle of the restaurant, which looks odd at the beginning, but slowly you realize it blends it well with the tones of black and red of the venue.

 

The restaurant is dimly lit during dinner service, with red and silver candle holders placed on each table. There are also a few colorful lampions hanging from the ceiling, more for decorations than actually serving a purpose, but quite cool nevertheless. Tables of 2 and 4 are available, as well as tables of 6 separated from each other through a dark heavy wood partion, for extra privacy.

 

Walking in at 8-8.30pm, I saw a half full restaurant (always look at the "bright side of life", at the glass half full, not half empty), and clear plates, always a good sign that people are enjoying the food and are not just poking it and/or moving it around. Good music and "zen" all around.

 

The menu is varied, with dishes you can find in any Thai restaurant around the globe (something old), but also with dishes from the north eartern part of Thailand (something new!), dishes that I haven't tried before. Well balanced between seafood, vegetables, chicken and beef, almost all curries and noodles can be served with your choice of protein (or vegetables................).

 

We went for.....something old: tom yam soup (with chicken) and green curry (with prawns) (and rice). And something new: roasted duck salad with chilli powder dressing (obviously, with duck) and kang om nuao ( with beef. Just wait and see).

 

To comment on the complimentary prawn crackers would be a waste of time and words. Of course they were good! They were very good actually and the spicy dipping served with them was even better.

 

Moving on to more important food affairs, our starters arrive after 10-15 minutes, pipping hot (the soup, not the salad) and ready to go.

 

My search for "the" tom yam is a never ending story. Every time, in every Thai restaurant I have to have it. Royal Buddha's tom yam came close to what I imagine it should be "the one", the only one true soup to its roots, untouched by Western hands and its tempered flavours.  All the right ingredients were there - mushrooms, lemongrass, keffir leaves, tomatoes, coriander, chilli, spring onion - and they blended in a perfect harmony of what Thai food is all about - a bit of "this" with a little bit of "that", salty, sour and hot, all at the same time. This truly is a dish that makes you move, rather than comfort you (and highly recommend if you have a cold, by the way). The broth was perfect, with flavours hitting your palette in layers - first the sour, then lemongrass, then the saltiness. The only downside of the dish was the chicken (in all fairness, who orders tom yam with chicken?!). Chicken meat is not a recommended one for this dish. When boiled in the broth, the chicken absorbs the majority of the flavoured herbs and broth and these totally overpower the meat. Simply put, the chicken is not strong enough to carry a tom yum.

 

The roasted duck salad a.k.a. lab ped yang is, basically, shredded duck (cold) with a tangy mint, lemon and chilli dressing, that I would highly recommend during a summer day (every day in Dubai), for a light lunch. The dressing makes the duck, although cooked perfectly, easier to digest. FYI, the salad feature lemongrass here and there which actually adds a layer of bitterness here and there and breaks through the overall freshness of the dish. If you ask me, I would have replaced happily the duck with tuna, but hey "when in a Thai restaurant, eat like the Thai, right?" The portion is also generous, so you be generous also: share with your fellows. 

 

Another Thai classic that shares the same status (in terms of fame) as the tom yam is the green curry, obviously with prawns. To be totally honest, I am not green curry's biggest fan. I don't know why, it just doesn't make me write home about, in general, just because it is sweet, just like its traditional name mentions: kaeng keiw wan goong (sweet green curry). Even so, I have only praise for Royal Buddha's green curry. When the bowl arrived to the table, an impeccably cooked prawn was emerging from the warm curry; funny enough, the prawn was covered with a layer of what I think it must be coconut milk froth or cream. It was a nice surprise and highly appreciated. The curry itself was thick and very taste, although a bit too sweet for my taste (sorry, I am one of those people missing the sweet tooth). Even so, it is a dish I highly recommend for the quality of its ingredients or for those seeking a Thai-experience.

 

The surprise of the meal came in the form of a beef curry, called kang om nuao (something new). While browsing through the menu looking for something we haven't tried before, our attention was drawn by the section called "Isaan (North eastern Thai style). While the very knowledgeable waitress raised an eyebrow at the though that a non-Thai national would order from that section, we went through with out choice. She didn't recommend, but we still went for it.

 

Kang om nuao is a dish difficult to explain. Firstly, it is a clear curry, a broth, flavoured with Thai herbs that I wish I'd know how to incorporate in my cooking. The broth itself had a strong, pungent spice, that sticks on your tongue, but is then washed off by the tender beef. Lemongrass, keffir leaves, Szechuan peppers (and many more), all contribute to the dish and complement each other. While it is described as a many course, I find it difficult to eat it with the rice (it is just so "slippery", doesn't stick to the rice, so my plate looked like a puddle of water with some random items floating through it), therefore I am considering ordering it as a starter. Why is that? Because when its "solid" ingredients finished, I was still eating the broth with the spoon (my nose was running and my nouth was burning - you know, bottom of the bowl, all spices left there- , but I couldn't let it go)! The depth of flavour and the amount of layers of this dish are unmatched and impossible to imagine. Just when I thought I had Thai cuisine figured out and down to an art, here comes the kang om nuao and blows me out of the water.

 

The service is of impecable standards at Royal Buddha and if a freak like me says that, then trust me on it. Top notch from start to finish. Polite greeting, speedy seating. Pertinent menu recommendations, regular follow ups on the food without overdoing it, smiles and chats all around. Expect the chef ("made in Thailand", actual Thai from actual Thailand) to visit your table and answer any questions you have about the food with a smile on his face, proud of his origin and confident in his cooking. Expect the runner to clear the plates from your right (ladies first, of course) and help you with putting rice on your plate (not an extremely difficult task, everyone with 2 hands and basic knowledge of how to use a spoon can figure it out, but it is a thoughtful touch to the service). Expect the waitress to notice that both your mains are with seafood and maybe you want to try something else?. Expect good service. As in any other restaurant (it would not be "Dubai style" without it), expect a "Fawlty Towers" incident: funny, confusing, "hidden camera" type of stuff. But let's not go crazy over small matters and look at the "bright side".

 

Royal Buddha is one of the restaurant that showed me I have a long way to go and much more to learn about food, in general. And that's a good feeling. When desire for learning and curiosity are matched by a substantial body of information still to be discovered, that's when you know that there is no end to this topic, called food. That's when you also realize that there is no end to your passion, no stop sign. It is only up to you how much you want to know and how far you are willing to push yourself. You are setting your own limits, you own "stop" signs.

 

Fellow adventurers our there, venture to Royal Buddha and dare to step out of the comfort zone, our of the "something old" box. Thailand has much more to offer besides tom yam and green curry.