Amazing Thai: FYI That's Its Name, Not Necessarily Our Verdict

By Oscar Holland

The word ‘amazing’ has been debased. A term that used to describe a feeling of genuine astonishment has been utterly diluted by overuse and basic people.

‘Amazing’ is a shadow of its former self. ‘Amazing’ is an adjective as banal as ‘nice.’ ‘Amazing’ is the final refuge of clickbait suckers who profess their ‘love’ for inanimate objects, call upon a god they don’t believe in (omg) and declare that perfectly plausible things are ‘incrrredible.’     

We could give you 28 amazing reasons why the word ‘amazing’ has lost all meaning – and you won’t believe what Number 15 says about your sex life!!

Needless to say, we’re hardly enamored with Amazing Thai’s name choice. But this isn’t simply because of the a-word. It’s also because restaurants shouldn’t dictate how you’re supposed to feel about them. Ask someone to join you at Amazing Thai, and it implies that you think it’s amazing. The name puts words in your mouth. More specifically, it puts a single boring, hackneyed word into it.

But hey, it’s just a name. The food here is really rather good. And that’s what matters, right?

Beijing has enjoyed a wave of new Southeast Asian options in the past year, and Amazing Thai is just as welcome. The bright, airy restaurant serves a focused selection of Thai favorites at lunchtime prices. And, unlike its competitors, this place offers larb (from RMB42), a delicious fragrant ground-meat salad. Definitely try that.

Elsewhere, the massaman curry (RMB68) lacks punch, and there’s far too much lemongrass in the tom yum soup (finish your bowl and you’ll find a heaving mass of it stranded at the bottom). But this new Gongti joint largely achieves the delicate balance required of Thai cooking.

So, all in all, Amazing Thai isn’t just amazing. It’s actually significantly better than that. In fact, Amazing Thai is thoroughly [insert more imaginative adjective].

Daily, 11am-11.30pm, 2 Gongti Donglu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体东路2号 (6500 7867)

You May Also Like...

For more Beijing Restaurant Review, click "Read more" below.