Thai Cuisine sticks to its Bangkok roots

 

Note: Below Information was copied from the "IDAHO STATESMAN .COM"

 

 

Thai Cuisine doesn't have an identity crisis. It serves strictly Thai fare, unlike some other Southeast Asian places in town that insist on serving extraneous Chinese food.

 

 

Owners Charb Lohanuwat and Charlie Poolapalin, who hail from Bangkok, opened Thai Cuisine in September. They moved to Boise five months ago via Seattle, where Poolapalin was a chef at Indochine, a popular Thai restaurant near Sea-Tac airport.

 

The building's exterior features a bubbling fountain made from imported Thai stone, helping to jazz up a boring stretch of Overland Road better known for fast food joints. Inside is a gallery of Thai artifacts and Buddhist icons. The elegant dining room boasts imported dark wood tables and large booths, as well as wood-carved elephant heads at every turn.

 

One afternoon, we started with Thai ice teas ($2.50) and a Triangle Crispy appetizer ($5.95). Four golden pastry pillows came packed with shredded chicken, onion, potatoes and yellow curry. I haven't seen this delicious appetizer anywhere else in town.

 

Thai Cuisine offers a substantial list of lunch specials, which includes a cup of pineapple soup and green salad with zesty peanut dressing.

 

We ordered a red curry lunch special ($6.95) and lemongrass chicken ($9.95) from the chef's specials. Soon we were staring at a bowl of steamed tofu cubes, cut long beans, carrot, bamboo shoots and eggplant steeped in a red curry sauce redolent of coconut milk and kaffir leaves. A small bowl of fragrant jasmine rice came on the side.

 

The grilled chicken breast was reminiscent of flames, lemongrass, basil and yellow curry, although it was a little salty for my taste. Allspice-scented peanut sauce, cucumber-onion sauce and steamed jasmine rice were served with the chicken.

 

We left full and curried out.

 

A few nights later, armed with an extra dining partner, we came back. It was a bitterly cold night, so a hot pot of lemon-ginger tea ($2) seemed in order. After thawing out, and perusing the appetizer portion of the menu, we settled on fried spring rolls ($5.95) and Wrap Lover ($6.95) for starters.

 

The spring rolls were packed with glass threads, carrot, celery, onion, garlic and cabbage. The sweet plum sauce made dipping these crunchy logs worthwhile. Wrap Lover is a must-try appetizer. It's essentially slabs of Malaysian-inspired flatbread and a scrumptious pile of caramelized diced tofu, cashews, peanuts, mango and basil -- kicked up a notch with some Thai chili paste. You're in charge of construction, thus the name.

 

Next, we committed to three entrees. The first was a citrusy larb salad ($7.95) that turned out to be a real eye-opener. A fresh pile of mixed greens came topped with minced chicken, basil, mint, cilantro, tomato and red onion in a zingy lime dressing. The larb salad was followed by a seafood nest ($12.95) and the house spicy noodles ($8.95), which were flat rice noodles stir-fried with tender shreds of beef, sambal, ginger, egg curds, broccoli and bell pepper in a rich oyster sauce.

 

The seafood nest didn't disappoint, either. A bird's nest of crispy egg noodles was teeming with delicately cooked shrimp, scallops, sole and tiny squids, tossed with straw mushrooms, broccoli and carrot in a garlicky sauce.

 

We even saved room for a cup of delicious house-made coconut ice cream ($2.95) for dessert. There's nothing like a frozen confection right before heading out into the wintry night.

 

Thai Cuisine definitely is on the right track for success. It's not afraid to be just a Thai restaurant, service is outstanding, and the food is a cut above the rest.

 

The Wrap Lover and Triangle Crispy appetizers are incredible. So are the savory curries and spicy Thai salads.

 

Patrick, J, K. (2005) Thai Cuisine Restaurant  "A Cut Above The Rest "

IDAHO STATESMAN .COM [published Jan. 14, 2005].

 

James Patrick Kelly is The Idaho Statesman's restaurant critic. E-mail him at  jpkfood@earthlink.net