Thai cuisine, as served here too, is dominated by sea food, herbs, sauces and spices. All dishes are presented colourfully with the help of fruits and vegetables. The menu is small with 34 items including soups (which have a huge helping) and starters. A complete Thai menu has about 60 dishes. But the Thai Chef Boon Song modifies this every 2-3 months to add to the variety and spice of Thai cuisine.

Vegetarians have a limited choice of 20 dishes but they could enjoy the unique flavours of Pandanus leaves (that are as abundant in Thailand as the banana leaves in South India), coconut milk and lemon grass-the oft-used ingredients in Thai cooking. For desert one can choose from the innumerable Thai flavours of homemade ice-creams. The jolly-looking Chef Song adds to the informal nature of the staff. He adds that most of the food preparations of his country are stir fried on a high intensity fire and hence `light'. Sweet food and charcoal grills that are sold on the streets of Bangkok are his favourite.

Over 80 per cent of the ingredients used in Rim Naam are imported to keep the authenticity. The place, which can seat up to 49 people, is also marked by a live sea food counter (although nothing in it looked alive) and an open-air kitchen. There is a complete absence of frozen ingredients emphasising the freshness of the cuisine. The food is cooked within 10 minutes of placing the order and served in 25 minutes. A lot of time and effort is spent on its presentation. For example-the pomfret is restored back to its original form when served.

However, the five-star meal also comes with a five-star tag, not to mention the high 25.75 per cent tax rates. A meal for two would lighten your purse by Rs 1,700. (This could have been worse as the pre-budget rates were over 31 per cent!). Prices mentioned on the menu card are inclusive of all levies.

-- Anubha Ghosh