Little corner of Bangkok has nestled into Kapahulu
By Helen Wu
Advertiser Restaurant Critic
 |
| Waitress Cindy Syxomphou and manager Alex Martinez attend to diners Fred and Masako Arashiro (at left and in foreground) and George Morimoto at Bangkok Thai on Kapahulu Avenue.
Photos by Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser |
 |
| Seafood tom yum is prepared in the kitchen by Chef Lynn. |
Bangkok Thai 829 Kapahulu Ave. at Paliuli Street 735-6338 Street parking; pay parking lot behind Pizza Hut on Palani Avenue. B.Y.O.B. Open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
|
The first thing I noticed about the restaurant was PURPLE. From the neon trim outside to the napkins, seat covers and walls inside, all are varying shades of the hue. And even the ceiling is a dark aubergine, although at night it's a little hard to tell. The bold color scheme isn't oppressive, but I did wonder if the Purple Store fanatics had done the interior or if purple is the owner's favorite color. I found out later that it was nothing more than a case of budgeting and deciding to work with design aspects left by the previous business.
Cathy Syxomphou and her husband Harvey Morimoto own the restaurant. Cathy owned a karaoke business for many years before this venture. The Syxomphou family, originally from Laos, runs the restaurant as though they had been doing it much longer. I was surprised to learn from Cathy's sister Cindy that she and Cathy's two daughters are the waitresses, an uncle and aunt are the chefs, and that this is the family's first restaurant. Although the place is only about two months old, the staff doesn't struggle with timing. Dishes arrive very quickly, which can throw off diners accustomed to eating in courses.
Friends who had become enamored of Thailand's cuisine over the course of seven trips accompanied me one evening, hoping to find a new favorite Thai eatery. They weren't won over by the som tum (green papaya salad, $6.50) which all of us thought was bland. The warming fragrance of a seafood tom ka (Thai ginger soup, $5 per serving) didn't have enough fish-sauce complexity to remind them of the dishes from off-the-beaten-path food stalls.
Pla lad prite (fried fish, $16.95), however, did bring back fond memories and had them anticipating a return visit to Bangkok Thai to eat the dish again. While northern Thai country music — which sounds like American soft pop except for the words — played in the background, we savored the fried whole snapper bathed in a subtly sweet, tamarind-tangy sauce. My friends said the only thing missing from their Thailand flashback was the noise of mopeds whizzing by outside.
Other converts to this restaurant are two Malaysian friends, one of whom has a Thai mother.
What these two enjoyed most about the restaurant was a green curry with beef ($7.50) that could compete with Mom's. We asked that the dish be prepared Thai hot, and I survived to tell you that it didn't make my head explode but actually tasted better than the medium I usually order. I don't like hot that makes me want to soak my head in a bucket of ice water, but this spiciness brought out more nuances in the dish. Crabmeat fried rice ($8.95) with actual crabmeat hunks was prepared with soft rice and lots of flavor — the style to which Thais are accustomed. Pad Thai rice noodles with shrimp ($8.95) were just right — not too red or sweet as at some other local Thai spots. Skewered chicken sate strips ($6.95) were a vivid rendition of this ordinary snack food found everywhere back home.
Weaker dishes included an order of ground-pork larb ($7.50), called Bangkok salad on the menu, which didn't have enough acidic lime juice to balance the meat's strong flavor. Seafood pad kapao ($9.50), although it contained a good amount of calamari, scallops and fish along with its large, stir-fried mixed vegetable chunks, didn't pack enough Thai basil ka-pow. And I have to confess I'm not a fan of cold coconut tapioca ($3), preferring the dessert warm instead.
If I hadn't been told, I would have thought that Bangkok Thai had been around for years. They may be a bit slow in clearing tables, and there are dishes I wouldn't order again, but this is pretty much my experience at other, more established, Thai places. The restaurant is reasonably priced, has vegetarian options that amount to more than just a few dishes, and food can be prepared without MSG on request.
Bangkok Thai may not be the prettiest Thai restaurant here, or the cheapest or most convenient (depending on where you live), but certain dishes such as the whole fried fish, green curry and crabmeat fried rice really deliver a heady rush of intense sweet, sour, salty and hot Thai flavors.
Reach Helen Wu at hwu@honoluluadvertiser.com.
