After its first outlet on our island opened late last year in Dempsey Hill, Thailand’s 11-year-old Thai-German restaurant/brewery has added another proud outlet to its already successful chain. I had already liked the Dempsey outlet loads back then, but when I set my eyes on this one, I had a strong urge to just not return to the office. Imagine a large, airy, two-story restaurant right smack in a tranquil locale (Note: It was a weekday when we visited), with a beautiful sea view just steps away and the ocean breeze blowing your way. Heaven. Instantly, I noticed other seafood contenders nearby (the usual suspects—I mean, c’mon, the area almost demands such tenants), but Tawandang clearly seems confident in its ability to draw the crowds even amid such competition, and quite rightly so. So yup—the two outlets offer very different experiences—one is a leafy chill-out haven, the other is a seductive seaside establishment that reels you in like a hooked fish (in a good way, of course), so go for either as the mood takes you. And the diff? Well, for starters, these folks have special dishes that can be found only at the new outlet that are definitely worth more than a cursory visit. Their requisite pineapple fried rice is available at both outlets and makes a good accompaniment to the three unique dishes that are only found here. I totally dug the deep-fried grouper with three sauces, which was extremely crispy and fresh. While I did have some difficulty prizing the flesh from the shell in a dainty fashion with the lobster in salt and chili dish, I agree that it’s worth the effort. The salt and the chili come through nicely in the springy, slightly spiny, curled-up morsels of white flesh—yet do not detract from its sweetness—awesome. Next up was the Thai Claypot Shark’s Fin Soup—which to me was a thicker concoction (cooked with pork bones) of this well-loved delicacy, replete with beansprouts, good, thick pieces of shark’s fin, but no crab meat. I rounded up my meal with a Dempsey dish—the green mussels baked in spicy seafood sauce. If you love mussels like I do, you’ll appreciate that these marvellous molluscs are not buried in some sauce that totally kills their natural flavor, but come instead in a light, neutral-tasting broth that lets their flavor shine through. Tip: Use the sauces that accompany the dish. They’re the bomb! I was too full to try too much beer—but if you’re in the mood, the names to remember are Lager, Dunkel or Weizen—the German beers that will make you one happy, loud diner. Belinda Wan
