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| - I had a friend visiting from New York and he wanted to go out for Thai food during his stay. We wound up having lunch with two other friends at Bahn Thai before his flight back. I first suggested Lao Laan-Xang on Willy Street. They weren't open, so I suggested Bandung, but they were in the midst of a crowded lunch rush, and we were pressed for time. Our third choice was a good one. I hadn't been to Bahn Thai for some time, and I recalled that their lunch options were fairly limited, but I was happy to see a fairly extensive list of lunch offerings.
I had a craving for tom yum, a classic Thai soup with mushrooms, citrus leaves, lemon grass, galanga, and chili paste with shrimp, so I ordered that to share. One friend commented that the previous day he had a craving for a veggie egg roll. He got his wish, and since he didn't have a big appetite, chose the spring rolls for his entree. I ordered kang pet fach tong, a red curry with zucchini, thai eggplant, and squash with chicken, and another friend ordered the same with tofu. Bob, the visitor from New York ordered pad bai kaprow, stir fried mushrooms, onion, and basil leaves with shrimp. One of us ordered the Thai iced tea, which was deliciously milky and sweet. We were all delighted with our choices.
Soup comes with a small bowl of their house soup, a straight-ahead chicken soup with tender vegetables. I like soup, so I had no complaints about getting double souped, with the tom yum to follow. The tom yum was outstanding, and there was plenty to share among three in our party (A shellfish allergy prevented one person from partaking). It was pleasantly spicy with a citrusy, sinus-clearing warmth that makes this soup my go-to Thai comfort food. I commented, "They put the "Yum!" in tom yum. The egg-roll craving member of the party commented his food was good enough to turn that meat-and-potatoes guy into a vegetarian. The two of us who ordered squash curries reveled in the rich complexity of Thai spices, which makes this Thai standard another favorite. The bai kapow had a variety of mushrooms typical of Asian cuisine in addition to the button mushrooms so familiar to Americans. Bob really enjoyed his dish, and that's saying something since he's spent time in Thailand where his brother and sister-in-law, a Thai native, own and run a restaurant.
The servings were ample, and Bob was the only one among us who didn't have enough to bring home for another meal. Other reasons for the five-star rating: the restaurant was calm and quiet, offering a nice respite and a pleasant contrast to the June heat and clamorous atmosphere of many other establishments, and the service was spot-on and friendly. Thanks for picking up the tab, Bob!
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