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| - Way back in the 20th century, when Thai food had just made it to the West Coast, I used to eat lunch at a Thai place near the Space Needle in Seattle. They served a Thai seafood noodle soup, a pungent fermented tofu base, electric pink broth with watercress, rice noodles and a whole bunch of squid, shrimp, fish balls and mushrooms. On cold rainy winter Seattle days, this bowl of rich satisfying goodness, called Yen Ta Fo, hit the spot.
Over the decades, in the many towns I've lived, I always ask for it and am usually told that Americans wouldn't like it, it's only for Thai people. Occasionally I would find it, always a bit different. Spinach for watercress, different mushrooms, once it even had tomatoes in it!
I'm a regular at Monsoon Siam. They are really the only Thai place in Madison that even comes close to good Thai flavors and ingredients. Imagine my surprise when, noticing a seafood noodle soup on the specials board, I asked if it was Yen Ta Fo and was told, "No, but we make Yen Ta Fo. It's not on the menu but we make it!". How could I not know that??? Well, they did, I ate it, it was good and I'll go back and have it again and again.
They said they make all sorts of stuff that's not on the menu so, if you have a hankering for some special Thai dish, ask for it, you may be surprised!!
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