Dinner at Celadon, Pavilion

On last Thursday night, as a family we decided to eat out. It is rather rare that we go out at night. We prefer to save our outings for the weekends. But since Friday was Awal Muharram and the boys were on school holidays, we decided to go to Pavilion.

Mini-concert going on downstairs, hence the full carparkThe restaurant located on the 6th floor, right next to Spice of IndiaBad move! Apparently we found out after about 30 minutes looking for a parking space at the basement that a local Chinese singing group was holding their 'meet the fans' session the same evening. Hence the long queue for parking and the throng of crowd at the main foyer.

Puan Anita actually fancied some Thai food. Some Tom Yam she said. After a quick look at the stalls downstairs, we decided to go upmarket and eat at the restaurants. We went up to 6th floor. There was a Lebanese restaurant, a Turkish joint - desperately trying to be authentic with the turban-wearing waiters. There was also Spice of India - not tonight. Finally we came across Celadon.

Nice and serene setting. Nice ambianceA word of warning, it wasn't the cheapest dinner I took my family too. We were talking around RM80 per head here, and a couple of the heads were my boys! The ambiance was the main reason we went there. Initially Idlan was in a strop and did not want to go in, but one of the waiter actually spoke to him and asked where he wanted to be sat. He picked the sofa right at the back and off we went. More on the waiters later.

There were also seatings by the entrance if you fancyThe theme was all white, from the chair, walls, curtains and spread. There were general seatings at the entrance, a small more private area with cushions where we sat and a couple of function rooms should you want to organise dinner. There were subtle motif of Thai culture adorning all the ornamental decorations. There was of course the photograph of the King and a miniature white elephant. The salutations and greetings, the dressing of the staffs. There was also peaceful elements thrown in. Since everything was all white, it looked serene when the lights were dimmed. I noticed that every table has its own lighting. There were also some tables on the corridor outside should you fancy some fresh air - if you call the foyer with high ceiling as fresh air!

The unmistakeable Tom Yum. Comes in two guises, with or without coconut milk.The sizzling beefPuan Anita did the ordering. We had soft shell crabs and thai salad for starters. The crab was OK, but the salad which was mainly sour mango and vinegar was too strong for me. I quite liked it at the beginning but the portion was too big. Definitely for sharing. We had the mixed seafood tomyam, which was very impressive. She also ordered marinated sizzling beef, very tender and lightly spiced. My order was the steamed seabass - the reason why the cost was so dear. It was very well cooked, the fish was fresh, too much garlic and mint in the sauce but that was nitpicking. The sauce was good enough to sip. I was full however by the time dessert was on the card. So we skipped that.

The steamed seabass ...... before ........ and afterNow back to the waiters. There were a couple of local and a Thai waiter. The Thai gentleman was the one attending us. I was very impressed when he offered plastic plates and cutleries for my children, and made sure that their fried rice was not too spicy. Maybe it was restaurant policy but I have been to a less upmarket restaurant where the waiters bat their eyelids at the sight of my kids - although they were perfectly handsome just like their Daddy! The air-conditioning was also not too cold.

Would I go there again? Only on special occasions or while on business duty. Would I recommend my friend to go there for a romantic dinner - definitely! The money spent there will be well worth it! The waiters were good, the food was good and the ambiance was very nice.

Time of visit - Thursday, 17th December 2009

Address - Lot 6.37, Level 6, Pavilion KL, Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur

03-21488708 - no website