Best tom yum in KL

A stalwart in KL’s Thai restaurant scene, myELEPHANT has been serving reasonably priced, authentic Thai dishes since 2007 from their restaurants in popular suburbs. A popular option is the spicy, tangy tom yum – here you can order it à la carte or off the daily set lunch menu. Have it with either chicken, prawns or mixed seafood; there’s a meatless version too. The set menu version is served with rice or as a noodle soup and comes with a drink and small side of the day – a bargain at RM12.50. The mixed seafood or prawn version is always a good choice and the flavours of the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal do come through.

La Moon stays true to its principle of ‘Simple Thai Cuisine’, and Chef Korn creates dishes made with familiar ingredients and the usual Thai herbs and spices. When it comes to the tom yum, diners have the option of style of soup and level of spiciness – we went for a thick tom yum seafood soup with Level One spiciness. The generous portion was filled with huge fresh prawns and cuttlefish, and the fragrant soup had ingredients like lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal and fragrant crushed bird’s eye chilli. Level One spiciness is a great introduction to the rest of the dishes on the menu, while Level Three is surely one for the adventurous.

This popular Thai fusion restaurant serves an extensive range of dishes with plenty of options in each category; don’t miss the pork dishes. When in a Thai restaurant, one should always go for tom yum. Here at KomPassion, the seafood tom yum, served in a simple metal bowl, is a great way to start any meal. It consists of mussels, prawns, squid as well as mushrooms and tomatoes, and fragrant hints of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves add character to the spicy soup.

As far as Thai cuisine goes, Ekkamai is the go-to for those favourite dishes that we all love. There are Thai staples like green curry, pad Thai, tom yum and pandan chicken that a Thai restaurant is judged on and Ekkamai delivers in spades. Let’s talk about tom yum, that perennial spicy and sour soup that goes perfectly with seafood and white rice. There are four variations here – chicken, tiger prawns, mixed seafood and salmon belly – and the broth is well infused with lemongrass (as it should be) and is of the reddish variety meaning it has a good spicy kick. The Ekkamai menu has calorie counts and it’s interesting to note that the tiger prawn version weighs in at a mere 180 calories per portion!

With an array of Thai and fusion dishes on the menu at D9, there’ll be something for everyone no matter your preference. Combining two popular ideas – tom yum and hot pot – D9’s special Tomyam Hotpot is a portion big enough for a group of three to four people. The hotpot is brought to your table with a small stove, and diners can expect a hearty seafood mix of mussels, prawns and squid, with tomatoes, broccoli and mushrooms. The fragrant soup is a nice balance between sour and spicy, and goes very well with a bowl of fluffy white rice. There’s also the option of white tom yum soup for those who prefer something lighter.