Thaichi Street in Baani Square for Thai and Chinese

Thaichi Street is one of our favourite reasons to visit the newly popular Baani Square, with affordable Thai and Chinese food that isn’t a compromise.

Yes and no. Yes, because that’s exactly what it does. And no, it’s not run-of-the-mill because the dumplings aren’t encased in the thick layer of maida that you might expect of a standard Chinese joint of this price point. Definitely a better choice than the flash-fried starters, barring the signature Drums of Heaven. The Thai selection goes beyond the basic red and green curries, with sufficiently Thai-sounding {and tasting} dishes – we tried the Lamb Massaman Curry with Jasmine Rice, and could have easily had a lot more. We aren’t used to seeing Meals In A Bowl in this bracket, and were pleased to see that the Prawns in XO Sauce with Udon Noodles delivered on the promise of a hot warming bowl done right.

When we were told that their Khow Suey was a big hit, we kind of felt like we’d heard that before. But try we did, and we’re glad. The Khow Suey was better than others we’ve seen in the category, hitting all the right notes with flavour and texture, although light on condiments. The only comparable one we’ve had in Gurgaon comes from a Burmese specialty restaurant, where your itch for non-Burmese items can’t be scratched.

We discovered that the kitchen does not buy or use MSG in any of their preparations, which we find is an increasingly rare skill, and it’s reassuring that the kitchen doesn’t feel the need to resort to flavour shortcuts. The compact but cute restaurant space comes with the advantage of endless bowls of the Chinese equivalent of masala peanuts, but if you ask us, we’re happiest to add this discovery to our can’t-be-bothered-to-deal-with-Gurgaon-potholes little black book of Oriental food delivery services.