Karl Wells
Taste of Thai
177 Duckworth St.
Ph. 738-3203
The owner and two of the cooks at
Taste of Thai were from Bangkok. I would catch a glimpse of them every now and
then as the busy kitchen door swung back and forth. That fact, more than the
Thai influenced decoration and traditional bow of the head by the smiling
hostess made me confident that our meal would be as authentic as possible. I’d
been to Thai themed restaurants
where the sauces were thick, goopy,
bottled products. I was seeking something fresh with flavours of nam pla - fish
sauce made from anchovies - galangal, tamarind, lemongrass and chillies.
Taste of Thai had approximately 13
tables. Five were low to the ground and located on a raised platform along an
exposed brick wall. These were for patrons with limbs supple enough to sit
cross-legged on cushions and dine Thai style. Guest and I both feared that once
down we might never get back up without the assistance of the St. John’s
emergency rescue unit, so we chose a regular table at the back.
The tables were smartly set with
white linen, topped with burgundy accent cloths. White, square dishes provided
more contrast, as did the large dark blue napkins resting on them. Each table
was also set with a few colourful fresh flowers and a small candle. Despite the
nod to convention the atmosphere was relaxed and casual.
I’m always surprised to discover
good wines from parts of the world not known for wine. A friend recently
introduced me to some wines he’d brought back from a trip to India. They were
wonderful. Similarly I was thrilled to discover Taste of Thai offered a sweet,
slightly spicy, citrus scented Chenin Blanc from Thailand called Why Thai. It
came in a green bottle with pink label featuring a water lily and was reasonably
priced at $30 per bottle.
To avoid the agony of having to
pick one appetizer from a menu that had several appealing choices, we decided
to share something called a Thai teaser. It was a platter containing helpings
of various appetizers on Taste of Thai’s menu along with a dish of homemade
sweet and sour sauce.
Peek gai yad sai was an invention
featuring my favourite part of the chicken, the wing. I like wings because
they’re so fatty and flavourful. The teaser’s plump wings were stuffed with
ground pork and glass noodles - thread-like transparent noodles made from mung
beans. I liked the contrast in texture provided by the crispy fried exterior,
then the ground pork and noodles and, finally, the wing meat.
The other appetizers were a little
more straightforward. Shrimp in a blanket, for example, was nothing more
complicated than individual shrimp marinated in Thai spices, straightened out,
rolled in a wrapper and crispy fried. After biting through the warm, crusty
exterior, a stream of fresh shrimp flavour was released in my mouth.
Taste of Thai’s spring rolls were,
at the same time, crunchy, soft and fragrant. These were filled with a mixture
of vegetables and the ubiquitous ground pork. They were easily as delicious as
the wings and shrimp and worked equally well with the freshly made sweet and
sour sauce.
Pla lard plick was one of the most
exciting dishes on the menu. Several delicate, extremely fresh pieces of cod
had been deep-fried – much Thai food is deep-fried – and topped with a very
sweet chili sauce. I’d advise you to have this with a serving of plain steamed
rice as the bland rice will help draw away some of the piercing sweetness of
the dish.
Finally we tried Taste of Thai’s
cashew chicken. It was a combination of battered, deep-fried boneless chicken,
onion, mushrooms, green pepper and cashews in Thai sauce. The sauce was not
particularly spicy but it had a strong taste of fish sauce. It was acceptable
but, for me, “fishy” chicken is not what I want in a dish called, cashew
chicken.
There is no doubt that everything
we enjoyed at Taste of Thai contained fish sauce. It’s a staple of Thai cooking
and I would have expected no less. It’s one of the ingredients that gives the
food its authenticity, its “je ne sais quoi.” That’s when just enough is used.
However, when too much is used an ingredient that’s meant to enhance or bring
out flavours can suppress all others.
Our meal for two people at Taste of
Thai - including a bottle of Chenin Blanc and gratuity - cost $105.69.
Taste of Thai was not wheelchair
accessible and the noise level was moderate.
Best Points:
Authentic food in pleasant
surroundings.
Areas for Improvement:
Careful with the fish sauce.
Ratings Category:
Taste of Thai gets 8 out of 10
points.
7 points = satisfactory, 7.5 =
good, 8 = very good, 9 = excellent, 10 = perfection