Riverboat Thai @ Taman Danau Desa

More Than Just Boat Noodles…

Boat noodles really seems to be the craze with many places popping up all over our city serving up mini portions of the Thai classic street food. We found out about Riverboat from OffPeak.com and was curious about this Thai joint packed into the busy suburb of Taman Danau Desa. One evening, some of us head on over to Riverboat for a taste of Thai cuisine.

We were told that Riverboat was serving boat noodles but when we got here, we saw that their menu offered more than just noodles. It was a full list of many Thai dishes together with the noodles. Run by a Louis and his wife, Riverboat serves up authentic Thai dishes as well as some Thai BBQ. The restaurant’s ambience was basic and simple. Off white walls are left bare. Simple tables and stools made up the seating. Thai steamer baskets are converted into lamp shades and provided warm lighting for the place.

On the way into the restaurant, we saw these scrumptious and tempting items on the grill! Now how can we not order these…

For drinks, we decided on Thai classics of Iced Lemongrass (RM2.50) and Iced Pandan Paradise (RM2.50). It was decent and thirst quenching.

The first dish to arrive was Som Tum Thai (RM9.90). I love papaya salad and its raw and robust flavours. This one is really appetizing. Crunchy shredded green papaya soaked in pungent salty garlicky lime and fish sauce dressing pumped up with loads of heat. There was also carrots, long beans, tomatoes and peanuts added for textures.

BBQ Pork Neck (R14.90) was just divine. It tasted as good as it looks. The pork neck was undeniably gorgeous as it was so tender and tasty. The flavours were moreish and the aroma lightly smoky. I like the little bits of charred edges too. There is a sweet and spicy sauce served on the side but the pork neck was just really tasty enough on its own.

The next dish of Kaeng Som (RM24.90) is truly a unique dish in central Thailand. Its quite hard to find Kaeng Som here but I was glad to see this dish on the menu. It is almost like a curry as it has spice paste but it is a non-creamy one. It’s my first time tasting this dish. Though it is usually cooked with fish and vegetables, Riverboat’s version uses prawns and has cubed omelette with petai leaves in the tangy spicy sauce. I loved it a lot. The tamarind in the curry really gave the dish its delicious character. The more I enjoyed this dish, the more I got addicted enjoying its spicy and sourish flavours. Damn shiok dish!

Another must order and drool worthy dish was BBQ Talapia Fish with Salt Served with Vegetables, Vermicelli & Sauce (RM38 per set) that came looking and smelling so good. The salt crust and skin on the fish has been removed, unveiling a delectable looking fish with smooth and sweet flesh.

The way to enjoy this dish is to put some fish on the crisp lettuce with some rice noodles and herbs, topped it with some of the sauces and enjoy this. One gets lots of texture and the flavours were simply amazing. It was like a delicious party of taste going in my mouth. It is definitely worth waiting every minute for this dish so be patience and order this …

The Tom Yum Goong (RM22.90 – small) here is pretty kick-ass in flavours. A sip of this will literally awaken your sense of flavours in full throttle. Super spicy and sour, the soup has a nice medley of seafood.

Another signature of the restaurant is Riverboat’s Clam in Thai Sauce (RM13.90). Using large hard shell clam, the dish is beautifully flavoured with a sweet, savory and spicy Thai sauce. The sauce took limelight here and I couldn’t help scooping up the sauce to go with rice. The sauce was moreish, the clams were fat, juicy and tender.

We also had Fried Rice with Chicken, Basil & Egg (RM10.90). It was mediocre only in flavours but the rice was nice and fluffy,

We tried an order of their four variations of boat noodles of Pork Soft Meat Boat Noodle (RM2.00), Pork Fresh Meat Boat Noodle (RM2.00), Beef Soft Meat Boat Noodle (RM2.50) and Beef Fresh Meat Boat Noodle (RM2.50). The portion is really value-for-money. It was certainly a debated decision as we enjoyed both the pork and beef broth. The broth was nicely robust and lightly sweet with meaty essence and lots of spices. We thought the meat was quite generous for the price. These are really good so if you just feel like a lighter meal, go for the boat noodles.

Dinner ended with classic Mock Pomegranate Seeds with Coconut & Jackfruit or Tub Tim Grob (RM4.90). It was decent with crunchy pearls of water chestnuts with slivers of jackfruit in a sweetened coconut broth.

We certainly got more than we expected at Riverboat. Dishes here are pretty authentic and the price is very affordable. Make sure to come early as seats are limited due to space. Most diners don’t linger so it’s never too long a wait for a taste of Riverboat. Signatures to order are their BBQ Pork Neck, BBQ Talapia Fish with Salt, Kaeng Som and Riverboat’s Clam in Thai Sauce.

RIVERBOAT

23 Plaza Danau Desa 2

Jalan 3/109F

Off Jalan Klang Lama

Taman Danau Desa

58100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel:  011 2629 2779 / 012-9302839

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Riverboat

Business Hours:

Monday–Sunday: 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

Closed on Wednesday

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