Imagine you burst into your elderly but sweet neighbours' living room, and ended up full and happy
While Thai cuisine tends to be adapted to local tastes a lot around the world, Latvia's case is a bad one. Majority of eaters here prefer bland and greasy food and can't tolerate a hint of spiciness (no offence, that's the kind of food I grew up on, Oh the mighty potato..)
That is why serving authentic Thai food in Riga can bring your establishment to the brink of bankruptcy. Every time at Thai Spice Fusion, while my stomach fills with happiness my heart aches a little because I fear the sad fate awaiting the restaurant which had noble intentions but gave up on a chance to succeed right from the beginning. And serving authentic Thai food that is unlikely to satisfy the public is not the only reason for my scepticism.
Food aside, the whole experience leaves you wondering - what were they thinking setting it up like this? A forgettable name such as Thai Spice Fusion is not an unusual problem among family restaurants and others who run them "with their hearts" as opposed to doing it with "business mind". But in the case of this particular restaurant, the awkwardness of its interior arrangement leaves quite a few questions unanswered.
To give you a short virtual tour, as you enter you find a neat little bar. If you came there to eat, this is not where you want to settle so you keep going. you then find a small area with a tall table and bar chairs which don't look very comfortable for dining, and next to it this little Thai themed set up. It feels like a waiting room, so you proceed to the next room.
Then you find the main dining area which has a feel of a living room but not your own or a close friend's living room where you can feel cosy and comfortable. This one is your neighbours' living room, the ones you don't have much in common with. Most of the times we visited no one was there and it felt awkward to enter - like you were invited to a house but the hosts are nowhere to be seen. And when there was a group of people already dining at one of the tables - it felt that we'd be intruding. Like in someone's house it would be weird for several unrelated groups of people to share the same living room.
Once you settle down, things get better as you're greeted by a friendly guy or gal, or maybe even one of the owners - a cute older gentleman with a shy smile, or his more outgoing (assumably) wife. At least you get to know whose living room you're sitting at.
So time to check the menu. It's brief and simple but the selection is good, except it would be nice to see more curry varieties. Also keep in mind they go full swing with spiciness here, so make sure to let them know if hot food is not for you.
Pad Thai with shrimp(~7 Euro) is what we had here more than once and it tasted pretty much like Pad Thai you would get at a usual street eatery in Bangkok. The sweet and the sour and the fishy flavour were well balanced, and the chilly peppers were placed separately for you to adjust the hotness to your taste. The only complaint I had about this dish is that it felt a bit dry.
Tom Yum Soup (~7 Euro) is one of those dishes that can make me instantly ecstatic if its taste hits the spot. The Tom Yum here was decent but failed to impress deeply or leave a lasting impression. I also think of champignons in Asian dishes as a sign of laziness on the part of the restaurant but that is really a minor complaint.
And the biggest surprise was the dessert. Having no particular expectations we just got what the waiter humbly recommended - coconut ice cream (~4 Euro). For whatever reason, she refused to reveal where and how is was made but it definitely tasted like a real pure coconut, ripe and just off the tree. Shell was fake but it served the presentation so we forgive that.
Dinner for 2 came to ~30EUR which makes this places more than reasonably priced.
Final score: 4/5
Thai Spice Fusion
Dzirnavu iela 55, Riga
https://www.facebook.com/ThaiSpiceFusionRiga/
