By KARI MUTU

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The Thai Chi Restaurant at the Stanley Hotel in Nairobi lives up to its reputation as the best place for Thai food even after 12 years of operations.

Thai Chi is located on the first floor, off the Exchange Bar. We stepped into the serene atmosphere of the restaurant that is designed with parquet floors, wood panelled walls and deep red hues. The restaurant has gilded carvings of Asian elephants for decor.

The four of us ordered different meals that we could share. To begin, we had bowls of steaming, spicy Tom Yum soup, made with chunks of seafood.

The papaya salad with tomatoes, strips of carrot, cashew nuts and fried noodles is a nice blend of texture, colour and crunchiness. We also got some fried sweet corn fritters, served with a sweet chilli sauce.

While we waited for our food to arrive we were pleasantly surprised to each get a complimentary head and neck massage from the in-house masseuse who came to our table.

The menu has a wide selection for vegetarians. The Gai Gan Kiew Wan, green curry chicken in coconut cream, looked harmless enough but the sauce had kick of zesty flavours. The braised duck in red curry sauce is well spiced, and the sweetness from the grapes and pineapple balances the strong taste.

We included a non-chilli dish of beef filets in a light sauce of soy, crushed black pepper and oyster sauce with red onions.

The dish was beautifully flavoured. With our main courses we had bowls of steamed, sticky rice, which is easy to eat with chopsticks.

We also ordered a portion of rice noodles tossed in soy sauce. A portion of assorted stir fry vegetables in a mild white and dark Soy sauce rounded off our selection of main courses.

For dessert we had fried ice cream, a Thai speciality. Scoops of ice cream are dipped in batter and deep fried till golden brown.

The warm, crispy exterior gives way to the melting sweetness inside. The staff were courteous and attentive, and were happy to recommend dishes for those of us unfamiliar with Thai cuisine.