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| - On the one hand, Kiin hits some high notes with elegant decor, and outstanding food presentation and silverware. On the other hand, Kiin hits some low notes with mediocre flavours and sky-high prices for very little food. If you're on a first date, this would be a nice place to go, so long as you're willing to splurge. If you're looking for a hearty dinner, this place is not your ticket. It's almost the complete opposite of what Thai food is intended to be - simple food, with big flavours. Anthony Bourdain must be rolling in his grave (I hope it's not too early for this sort of joke, for I truly do admire Anthony Bourdain, may he rest in peace!)
Here's what we ordered:
Royal Dumpling Platter:
Price: $12 (for 4 little dumplings)
Presentation: 5/5
Flavour: 2/5
Value: 1/5
This plate was a huge flop. On the one hand it is a stunningly beautiful dish. On the other had, the flavours are sweet on sweet with some more sweet. It had very little flavour otherwise, with no balance whatsoever. This is NOT authentic Thai cuisine which is all about balancing sweet, sour and spicy. Plus, at $12 for four little dumplings, you are not getting a bang for your buck. If you're trying to impress a lovely lady, it might be a good dish. Flavour-wise, you're not getting much more than you would out of edible flours.
Chor ladda:
Price: $12
Presentation: 4/5
Flavour: 1/5
Value: 2/5
These bright blue jasmine rice dumplings are no improvement on the previous dish. They are beautiful, and have a pleasant texture, but no discernible flavour any more than plane rice. Please enjoy.
Mixed rice salad (vegan):
Price: $24
Presentation: 5/5
Flavour: 2/5
Value: 2/5
This plate is just a little better than the previous two. On the one hand, it is again a stunningly beautiful dish. It has many components, and come deconstructed in such a way that it looks like a painter's colour palate with many bright colours. It's served in a gorgeous metal bowl. But once the server mixes it, and you taste it, it's quite bland. No flavours, no textures, not much of anything.
Pandan Chicken:
Presentation: 2/5
Flavour: 2/5
This dish again was a big flop. It's a tiny little piece of chicken which was marinated for far too long (resulting in very strong, almost unpleasant chicken flavour.) It was wrapped in Pandan leaf. We were told we could eat the leaf. I tried. Big mistake! I had a mouthful of inedible straw which I had to elegantly extract from my mouth in a rather posh restaurant... teehee.
Chicken Stir Fry:
Price: $26
Presentation: 3/5
Flavour: 4/5
Value: 3/5
This was the most successful dish of the evening. The chicken was covered in a thick gravy of lemongrass and ginger. The lemongrass was very cleverly pureed to a pulp and that made it edible, with nice flavours. It was great beautiful dish, albeit small.
The absolutely best thing served was the fried bread accompaniment to the mains. It was deep fried goodness - absolutely divine.
Drinks are - what can I say? - downtown prices. A cocktail would set you back $15; Hardly a good value in my books. A beer would set you back about $8.
An important thing to keep in mind is the following: Many restaurants these days opt for small plates, and Kiin is no exception. It's not a bad idea, since you get to sample different dishes. However, they get away with charging high prices, without you noticing. Case and point: Yelp says that this restaurant is in the $$$ category, but it most definitely belongs in the $$$$ category. The number of dishes you would have to order in order to be satiated would easily put you in the $150 range for a dinner for two.
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