Five Spice - Thai Restaurant in Zürich — Restaurant in Zurich

As a Thai, I am utterly disappointed to find another Thai restaurant serving 'compromised' dishes as authentic Thai food. I would not have complained at all, had this been presented as Thai-style or Thai-inspired cuisines--at least, I would have anticipated what I was getting. The ingredients required as part of the dishes were skimped or removed to pare down the cost at the expense of their character.

Take Nam Tok Nue (spicy beef salad): it was sweet, nutty, spicy, and the beef chewy, when the dish should have demonstrated a balance of spiciness, fresh acidity of limes, umami-laden fish sauce, and aromatic-herbaceous-tinted toasty rice powder.

For Pla Sam Rod (fried fish topped with sweet-sour-spicy gravy), the fish was deep-fried to perfection, but alas, the gravy, which was the highlight, left much to be desired. The generic, cookie-cutter chicken dip diluted with tamarind infusion substitutes for the much anticipated flavours of fried garlic, chopped corianders, tamarind juice, fish sauce, and fresh chilis. It should not have been called such.

As for Nue Pad Prik Khing (stir-fried beef with ginger and chili), it added insults to injuries. I mistook it for a coconut milk-based curry at first glimpse. The supposed signature dryness of the dish was replaced by a soggy, greasy overdose of coconut milk and the immediately recognisable ready-made red curry paste. The piquancy of bird eye chilis coupled with the sweet gingerbread nuance of cooked julienned gingers? None to be found. The tragic beef was stir-fried to bone-dry stiffness. Even if this dish were named as something else, the consistency and the preparation of the beef would still not pass the bar of the most basic street food cooking skills in Thailand.

I do not believe that these three simple dishes would have gone catastrophically wrong, had they not tried to cut corners with the ingredients to make more profit. There are other restaurants like the Lemongrass (only at the Limmatstrasse 199 branch), Roi Et, or Jao Praya, which are of the same price range or less expensive but offer full-on, sincere Thai cuisine without skimping or cutting ingredients at the expense of the food.

In total, these three dishes costs CHF84,50.

For sure, many who are used to the ubiquity of Thai restaurants abroad offering such corner-cutting dishes will be delighted to find a familiar flavour palette in a cosy setting. But, I--and many Thais--will not attempt to seek out Five Spice for authentic Thai flavours. Even then, I would rather patronise a fusion establishment like Lily's that surprisingly offers hearty dishes close to what one would find in average streetfood trolleys...

The food was amazingly good. I really felt like when I was in Thailand. The spice level was literally perfect, the red thai curry authentic & the duck inside was super tender and tasty. Its the best gaeng ped I‘ve had in Switzerland so far.

The Staff was super kind & the atmosphere literally cut out of a vacation moment which I was able to relive thanks to the team of five spice.

And the price you pay is absolutely fair.

Highly recommended if you like...

Nice location and ambience. The food itself was too low effort/dissapointung in my opinion and felt like something anyone makes at home. Tofu is not pre-treated and just put in the curry, overall not very rich in vegetables, sauces rather bland in favour, asked for very spicy and it was not spicy, and a bit liquid.

If you don't want shrimp paste, the selection is super limited. Could benefit from marking vegetarian dishes.

Service ok, Portion size...