Kung Thai, Durban North
I met Nina nearly 8 years ago when she was the chef at a little Thai restaurant in Florida Rd and I had ordered probably the best crab cakes I’d ever tasted in my life …Since then whenever either my family or myself is in the mood for Thai, the only place to eat at is one where Nina is the chef.
Nina is now the proud chef/proprietor of Kung Thai in Durban North and as usual the standard of food is exceptional. The décor of Kung Thai is red and white with signs of ‘home’ throughout. Pictures of the King and Queen of Thailand take pride of place and as Nina explains, the monarchy are seen as the “Parents of the Thai nation”…In fact in Thailand Fathers Day and Mothers Day are celebrated on the birthday of the King and Queen.
The ambience is cheerful and Nina often pops out of the kitchen to chat with the customers and offer menu suggestions. In fact the diners all seem to be regulars and Nina knows many of them by their names. The name Kung Thai, “City of Thai” and the logo of the dragonfly was inspired by the fusion of eastern tastes from every Thai city and the dragonfly symbolizes freedom. With all the wars with Burma, Laos and Cambodia as well as bandit invasions most Thai people were afraid to travel with the dragonfly seemingly the only creature that was able to move around freely.
The menu is true Thai inspiration and most of the herbs used in the dishes are grown by Nina in her garden at home. These include lime leaves, galangal (a staple in Thai cuisine) and turmeric. A meal at Kung Thai is a meal that assures you of true Thai authenticity. Adamant on quality, every meal is prepared fresh and if Nina is unhappy about the freshness of a single ingredient then she’d rather not make the dish.
Every mouthful of every meal is a trip of the senses to Thailand, from the Puu Cha ( Prawn and Crab donuts) to the Chu Chee Duck (Crispy duck served on a bed of spinach, topped with red curry paste, coconut milk, lime leaf, basil and chilli)
There is a standard menu with all the Thai favourites but as Nina explains she gets bored easily so she has an additional Specials menu, which changes regularly. These specials I must tell you are so spectacular, like the Phad Phed Neua Gha (Lamb) that they really should be added to the regular menu. However, Chef is quite flexible and if a diner requests something no longer on the menu she will happily make it up for you. When asked what her ‘signature dish’ is, with absolute humility and total lack of vanity, Nina answers ”Everything. I can’t say” because people return time and again and always try different menu items, so much so that all items are as popular as each other.
Nina is a tiny bundle of fiery energy and runs a brilliant ship, her staff love her and the customers seemingly cannot get enough of the stunningly crafted dishes she prepares.
Many of her staff have moved with Nina as she’s gone from one restaurant to another, surely this is a testament to both the chef and the person. There are now a total of 3 chefs including Nina in the kitchen. The success of Kung Thai has now given birth to what Nina calls her “new baby” in the village in Umhlanga. Kung Thai will now share its original brand of Thai flair with so many more diners, I’m pretty certain that this new venture will be as successful as the original Kung Thai in Durban North. And don’t worry, the menu has a heat indicator to guide you with Ma Phet being medium and Phet Phet being very hot.
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