Pintai is arguably the oldest and most well-known Thai restaurant brand in Suzhou, with Bangkok's Chatchaiplayoo and Chiang Mai's Pinong as executive chefs.
Tom Yum Soup is a well-deserved business card of Thai food, and Pintai only has one Tom Yum Shrimp Soup, which is divided into two sizes: large and small. The soup base is perfectly balanced between authenticity and refinement, with sweet and sour notes at first, followed by spicy flavours, a burst of excitement in the mouth and then sweetness, the addition of coconut milk only provides a smooth mouthfeel, without excessive sweetness and pretentiousness, and the addition of cherry tomatoes lightens all the flavors. Unfortunately, the soup uses frozen shrimp, dried shrimp and firewood, and the rest of the space is filled with plenty of mushrooms. Mango glutinous rice has seven or eight points level, mango is soft and smooth without gluten, the sweetness is just right, white glutinous rice and purple rice are stacked up and down, the softness is moderate, but unfortunately the rice is added with sugar, and coconut milk toppings are added, Suzhou restaurants are always good at using sugar to ruin a good dish.
The most popular appetizer is the accompaniment platter, with a choice of fish cakes, shrimp cakes, spring rolls and fried chicken, with a minimum of three plates. The fish cake is made of white fish, red curry and fish sauce, and the taste is fresh and slightly spicy, with a bit of fishy smell, and there are many fish bones, which may not be used to eating; The shrimp cake is made of shrimp meat and shrimp glue by hand, the shrimp taste is sweet and moist, the skin is charred and crispy and does not drip oil, but there are some soft stomachs, which are not elastic enough; Spring rolls and fried chicken are also deep-fried snacks, crispy and slightly spicy, and you can still try them. Yellow curry is supposed to be the safest dish, but Pintai is a little light, the coconut flavor is not strong enough, and the heat of the beef brisket is not in place, and the muscles are too old, which is very laborious. The green curry is much better than the yellow curry, it is stained with green pepper and basil, it has a slightly spicy taste, a long coconut milk base, and the fish sauce provides a low-key salty taste that is not unobtrusive, and the bibimbap is especially delicious.
Pintai's store is relatively narrow, and you have to walk and sit slightly sideways. The level of waiters is uneven, some are well-trained and responsive, and some are indifferent and stay out of the way. Restaurants are often understocked, and non-popular items are often sold out, so if you want to visit the restaurant to eat a certain dish, you can call the merchant in advance to make a reservation.
