Maenam has been a staple on West 4th for contemporary Thai food for years. I’m so glad I finally made a revisit. Chef Angus An has trained with some of the most renowned Thai chefs in the world. And he brings such a unique perspective to traditional Thai cuisine. The menu at Maenam features a mix of traditional Thai dishes and contemporary twists on classic recipes. Check out my full review of Maenam below!
Maenam – Dinner Appetizer Menu
To start our meal we got:
- Grilled Thai Sausage & Crispy Rice Salad ($20.00)
- Tom Ka Coconut Mushroom Soup ($30.00)
As it was a typical rainy cold and wet January day in Vancouver we decided to start our meal with Tom Ka Coconut Mushroom Soup which features a variety of mushrooms, with Thai herbs & bird’s eye chilies. This was a great soup to start the meal and had plenty of mushrooms. There was just the right amount of kick from the chili to really warm you up.
We followed that with the very zesty and flavourful Grilled Thai Sausage & Crispy Rice Salad. This salad features house fermented pork sausage with crispy curried rice puffs, coriander & fried shallots. It was an explosion of flavours in my mouth! The sausage packs such an umami punch and the crispy rice puffs were a great textural contrast to the grilled sausage.
Maenam – Dinner Mains Menu
For our mains we went with:
- Nam Tok Grilled Wagyu Beef Salad ($34.00)
- 3 Flavour Lingcod ($34.00)
- Chu Chi Curry of Grilled Albacore Tuna ($35.00)
The Nam Tok Grilled Wagyu Beef Salad features Brant Lake wagyu bavette, coriander, fresh mint, shallots & toasted rice powder with an aromatic dressing. Continuing on the theme of salads that aren’t really salads, this wagyu beef forward ‘salad’ features some of the most tender beef I have ever had. The fresh mint and coriander add a freshness and the shallots are a nice crispy element. A very delicious salad and one that I highly recommend you try for yourself!
The 3 Flavour Lingcod features crispy lingcod with caramelized palm sugar, chili, garlic, fresh baby corn, coriander & ginger glaze. The ling cod has the most delightful crisp exterior from the sugar crust and it gives way to a moist and delicate interior.
The last main of the evening was the Chu Chi Curry of Grilled Albacore Tuna. This dish features dry curry with grilled albacore tuna, fried shallots & makrut lime leaf. This was my first time having a dry curry and I really like it! I found it to be much more impactful in terms of concentrated flavours, so definitely order this with a bowl of rice. The tuna was perfectly seared and the curry pairs perfectly with it.
To cap off our delicious meal, we got the daily dessert which was Mor Kaeng. This is Thai custard made with mung beans and it was the perfect not to sweet ending to a wonderful meal.
Worth a Try?
Yes! I had such a fantastic experience here and every single dish was an explosion of flavour in mouth. The atmosphere was cozy and intimate, with dim lighting and a modern Thai decor. And even though the restaurant was very busy, the service was always friendly and attentive. Maenam will be participating in Dine Out Vancouver with a $65 set menu that is meant to be shared, so make sure to check it out for a great introduction to Maenam.
Maenam
Address: 1938 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 1M5
Website: http://www.maenam.ca/
