Larb Gai – Wong Eats

Thai Taste

Change usually usurps the comforts of complacency. In the last few years, my usual go-to Southeast Asian market and my favorite Thai restaurant were casualties of the recent recession, both located within walking distance from each other in Wheaton, MD. Since then I had been on the search for worthy replacements for both categories. After many months, I found a grocery store carrying many difficult-to-find ingredients, located a stone throw away from the defunct businesses. As I left the location, I noticed a newly opened eatery at the end of the parking lot. Walking in, I asked for a copy of their menu, and after perusing its extensive offerings, I was inspired to pay this eatery quite a number of visits before writing this review.

The menu at Thai Taste is a bit of a maze, much like the streets in Bangkok, partly due to the extensive offerings and most dishes listed in the Thai language, in addition to the rather creative and zany English descriptions. After familiarizing myself with the menu while munching on some peppery and savory complementary Fish/Shrimp Crackers (nice touch) reminding me of Grandma’s, I decided to go with a couple of familiar appetizers. I started with the Spicy Seafood Pho Taek. The bowl arrived with pieces of shrimp and squid, bits of bay scallop and a mussel, covered by a clear broth that is akin to Tom Yum with its spicy bite, sour notes from lime juice, fish sauce saltiness, and pungency from root aromatics evidenced by the bits of lemongrass, kafir lime leaves, galangal root, and fragrant basil leaves. What was lacking in the less-than-inspiring bits of seafood was made up by the full-bodied clear soup that woke up all the taste buds. An order of the Thai Taste Crispy Spring Roll was out of the ordinary. Crispy rolls made with an outer shell of rice skin, not the usual wheat flour skin, encased a savory mix of ground chicken, carrot, glass noodles, celery, and a surprising ingredient, taro root, that exuded a smooth sweet note to the whole mix. The light dipping sauce, unlike the usual sweet chili sauce, consisting of fish sauce, lime juice, chili, and garlic provided the complementary notes to these tasty bites. Already, one notices a different direction from the usual coming from this Thai kitchen.

The menu in this establishment offers many street food dishes, those not usually found in most Thai restaurants. Look Chin Ping is skewered meatballs or fishballs that are grilled or fried, served with a tamarind chili sauce. One bite into it brought me back to the food stalls in front of Cathay movie theater in my homeland during the 70’s. What made the dish work for me was the pepperyness along with the umami-ness that each bit possessed, balanced by the fruity and spicy tamarind dipping sauce. Another opener was Lucky Bags. Pouches of ground chicken mixed with sweet potato were seasoned with curry powder and wrapped in spring roll dough. I found the fried bags a bit greasy, given that sweet potato easily absorbs some of the oil, and the mix rather interesting but perhaps missing one more element to make this appetizer successful for me. Another order of Gai Yang peaked my interest. Pieces of skewered chicken thigh meat came well-marinated and grilled with some burnt marks. The seasoning permeated each morsel with slight sweet notes (server wouldn’t divulge the seasoning secret), a bit dry but at least not like breast meat, and complemented by a fiery sour sauce made with lime juice and smoky toasted chili flakes. The meat balls and skewered chicken are definitely street food offerings usually not found in most Thai establishments and they are worth the order here.

On a couple of occasions, I tried the salad dishes. Larb Gai is a standard found in most Thai establishments. My order arrived with a heaping mound of ground chicken sitting on lettuce leaves, along with some slices of red onion and some cilantro. The dish was still warm pointing towards its freshly made nature. After a few bites and despite my appreciation of it coming straight from the wok, the dish proved a bit of a ho-hum due to the lack of punch in the seasoning which usually consists of lime juice, fish sauce, toasted rice powder, and smoked chili flakes; perhaps, the chef forgot to taste this batch, which could have easily been rectified. Another day’s order was Yum Pla Duk Foo or Catfish Salad. When the dish arrived, a mound of brown fried lace was sitting on the green elements waiting to be stirred with the side sauce. After mixing it, I was wondering where was the fish element. My server pointed out that the lacy topping was made from finely shaved catfish, which amazed and perplexed me. I thoroughly enjoyed this popular dish here with the different textures and flavors, aided by some nutty peanuts. some sweet julienned green apple, and a well-balanced chili-laced sour and salty sauce that provided the much-needed flavorings and moisture to the whole mix.

Thai street food denotes dishes that are quick to prepare and fairly complete in its make up, which noodles make a good medium. The menu lists the ubiquitous Pad Thai “cooked with a tamarind sauce”. Usually one to avoid this dish which I have found to be pedestrian in most places, the rendition here did not belie its description, being made with the faintly clove-scented fruity tamarind, sweetened with slight molasses-like palm sugar, and the saltiness from fish sauce. I could not believe that I was inspired by this dish that I pretty much wrote off some time ago due to poorly made versions made with vinegar and sugar; never mind the smaller lunch portion since it was satisfyingly compensated by the wonderfully seasoned and bouncy noodles. Another lunch order was a favorite of mine: Pad Kee Mao or Drunken Noodle. My dish arrived with some very fresh noodles judging by its slightly firm “bounce” moistened by a slightly sweeter than usual sauce, and studded with bits of different seafood and fishballs cooked with some cherry tomatoes and sweet peppers. I truly enjoyed this plateful which was hitting the right spots including the chili heat and fragrant basil leaves. A lunch order on another visit was Bangkok Noodles. A plate arrived with a melange of egg noodles, cooked vegetables, and a shrimp and crabmeat omelette a la Egg Foo Yong. It was a bit sloppy but street food is not meant to be overly refined. What I appreciated in this dish was the well-sauced egg noodles and the omelette despite me not being able to discern the crabmeat in the egg mixture. But I could imagine someone ordering this noodle dish from a street vendor as part of his daily meal after a hard day’s work.

From the section on noodles with gravy/soup, my server highly recommended Chiang Mai Noodles. The slanted bowl arrived with disparate elements ready to be mixed together: boiled egg noodles, crispy fried noodles, beansprouts, fried shallots, cilantro, a slice of lime, and chicken drumsticks, all sitting on a pool of chicken curry. After giving everything a good stir and a squeeze of lime, I took my first bite. Wow! The flavor in the curry sauce was the perfect agent to amalgamate the different textures and flavor elements, exuding its spiciness, rich coconut cream base, and a tinge of sweetness, reminding me of Southern Thai Massaman curry. The pieces of chicken had the curry flavors permeating through the flesh, along with the fall-of-the-bone quality that made them irresistible – I think I just found a new noodle favorite with this discovery. An order on another occasion was Nam Tok Moo or Floating Market Noodle Soup. A bowl of wide rice noodle filled with a dark soup was accompanied by fresh herbs, beansprouts, and pork crackling. The saying is that the broth in a noodle soup makes the dish, and this bowl was no exception with its aromatic and rich soup supported by lean pork, bouncy noodles, fragrant basil leaves, green onions, and the irresistible crackling that took each spoonful to gastronomic stratosphere. A final order of Ka Nom Chine was unchartered territory for me. My server brought the deconstructed elements in a separate plate accompanied by a bowl of fish and fishball curry. After assembling my plate with the wheat/cornstarch noodles, green beans, carrot strands, beansprouts, pickled mustard green, and a boiled egg, I slathered the combination with the curry. I have to admit that my mind and tongue had a bit of a hard time wrapping themselves around this new dish with the cold noodles and raw elements trying to find marriage with the hot spicy curry. But I quickly fell for the curry with the fish flesh finely shredded in the fiery gravy exuding strong notes of kafir lime leaf and Thai rhizome.

A couple of spicy main dishes made up dinner on a visit. The first was Thai Taste Duck and Crispy Basil. The dish arrived looking a bit sloppy with sliced battered duck pieces topped with a copious amount of deep-fried basil, along with some boiled vegetables under a blanket of sweet and spicy sauce. Never mind the lack of finesse in this dish; what made it up was the duck that impressed me with the five-spice powder aroma permeating the fairly moist dark meat, coated by a well-seasoned light and nearly grease-less crispy batter that tempted me to eat every morsel of its crunchy goodness (I can’t – on a mini diet here). The other dish was Pad Ped Pla Duk or Spicy Fried Catfish. My dining companion decided to order it ped or spicy, and one bite into his dish, he broke out into a sweat. Beyond the spicy heat, I could discern the sauce that was replete with root aromatics, further made flavorful with green peppercorns and Thai rhizome that lent its je-ne-sais-quoi appealing element. The pieces of catfish were crispy on the outside but still moist and clean-flavored inside. Sorry buddy, Ped in the title means no compromise in its spice level, at least not in this kitchen. Another order of Kao Ka Moo comprised of pork leg stewed in a dark aromatic sauce. Yes, there was quite a bit of fat with each piece of meat, but that comes with the territory with this cut of meat. The pieces were extremely tender after being cooked in the mouth sticky broth tasting of five-spice powder with pieces of pickled mustard green. Again, this dish pointed towards its origin either from the home kitchen or street vendor. The side chili sauce was the perfect spicy acid relief with its fresh chili notes mixed with some garlic, vinegar, and ginger – I could have eaten the whole amount if weren’t for the chili heat.

Not all Thai offerings are on the singe-the-tongue level. A few mild ones on the menu were quite memorable. Pad Khing is a stir fry that consists of onions, mushroom, carrot, green onions, Chinese fungus, green chilies, red bell pepper, along the choice of meat or seafood. The version here was a savory one with a full-bodied sauce spiked with some young ginger that added quite a bit of bite to each mouthful. Another dish worth considering is Pad Ma Kuea. Pieces of Chinese eggplant were perfectly cooked, without being mushy, along with onion, green chili, red bell pepper and basil leaves, moistened by a savory bean sauce. This mixture was very appealing due to the skillful cooking and wonderful sauce, made even more luscious by the pieces of crispy belly pork that was the choice protein of my dining companion. This dish hit all the notes for my friend especially the crispy pork for which he has a strong penchant.

Enough of the savories – time for the sweets. A must-order, and a litmus test for a Thai eatery, is Mango Sticky Rice. The glutinous rice was fragrant and rich from the use of coconut cream in the steaming process, nearly as good as my favorite rendition from another Thai establishment. However, since it was not peak season for mango, as the fruit was not soft and it lacked the necessary sweetness to match the rich grains. The sprinkling of toasted coconut on top added more of the nutty notes, although I felt the dish could have done without this extra element. The other sweet offering was Taro Custard. The small cake was creamy rich and slightly nutty from the use of coconut cream, with a soft mash potato-like texture that spoke of the taro root used in the mix. I love this stuff and the version here was not short in any of the categories – a wonderful (slightly) sweet ending indeed.

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Whew, that was quite an extensive menu and I had to pay many trips to Thai Taste to get a good feel of its kitchen. It is a small place with only 11 tables available with only a small window for natural light. The place does get quite loud with Thai pop music pumping through the sound system, but the ambience is only befitting of the street food dishes on its menu. What the restaurant impressed me most besides the breadth of the menu, were the consistently well-executed and well-seasoned dishes, in addition to the uncompromising qualities evidenced by the chili heat levels and the authentic use of ingredients (tamarind, pickled mustard green) which some shy away from. What also makes this establishment stand out from its peers (one located just next door and the other across the road) besides the above, is the unique offerings that would whisk anyone away to that Southeast Asian environment renown for its alluring cuisine. No surprise that I could hear the Thai language coming out from most customers’ mouth, this being a reassuring note for this reviewer and gourmand. Yes, with a number of Thai restaurants around the area and a few already on my blog site, this place was well worth writing about, and it sits very high on my list as of today.

Aroy Thai

Food, Restaurants

With quite a few blogs on Thai cuisine on my site, it is hard to justify writing another one on this Southeast Asian cuisine. However, when I heard that there was a new restaurant not far from my neighborhood serving this Asian cuisine, I knew I had to check it out after getting over my initial surprise (“What? In Prince George’s county?”) Reading my previous blog on another Thai establishment (see blog), you sense my frustration that my county is not as “blessed” as the neighboring ones when it comes to international cuisine, especially Thai. Furthermore, it is located in the heart of College Park, MD (aka Party Town) which is known for mediocre cheap eats, drinking holes, and rambunctious fraternities – I graduated from there more than 20 years ago, so I know. With these thoughts in mind, I knew I had to check this new place out and see whether the positive online reviews (100% on one site) were written by reviewers in a sober state.

Located just off the main drag Route 1, Aroy is squeezed into a narrow building in a short block lined with metered parking on both sides of the street. The window is displayed with plastic rendition of their dishes that brings to mind Japanese sushi models popular in the 90’s. Walking into the narrow building, you notice that it is a small 7-table establishment with a counter separating the dining room from the kitchen. The bright orange walls and the long wood banquette makes the place welcoming and warm. Having a lifetime experience with this cuisine since I was a child, I recognized many dishes on the menu and I decided to check-out their offerings by ordering some standard dishes.

As part of their lunch menu, the main dishes come with Thai Spring Rolls or Tom Yum Chicken Soup. I must say I did not expect much from these appetizers since they were part of the lunch deal, but I was proven wrong. The spring rolls were crispy and nearly greaseless, light from the thin wrapper, and delicious from a filling made with bean thread noodle, fine cabbage, and a surprisingly flavorful ingredient, oaky shiitake mushrooms, which elevated these bites to another level beyond its pedestrian flavor. The soup was unexpected for me also. Instead of an insipid sip, it was flavor packed with aromatics like lemongrass, and balanced with enough chili heat, lime tartness, fish sauce saltiness, and sweet from a pinch of sugar. The bowl had a fair amount of mushrooms, tomatoes, and slivers of chicken breast to make it quite satisfying. A good start to the meal, indeed.

On a couple of occasions, I decided to try out their traditional salads. The first was Larb Gai. Pieces of minced chicken are paired with sweet onions, roasted chili powder, toasted rice powder, and moistened with lime juice, fish sauce, and a hint of sugar. This was a delicious spicy salad with the chili powder and rice powder adding a level of smokiness and heat to the sour, salty and sweet flavors of this warm bite. If it weren’t for a couple of sinewy pieces of chicken, this would have been flawless. The other salad was Som Tum, or Green Papaya Salad. Thin julienned strands of the young fruit are paired with carrot, tomato, and green beans, flavored by a sauce made of fish sauce, lime juice, and fresh chilies. What I enjoyed about the dish is the freshness of the ingredients and the balance of the bold flavors as well as the assertive spice heat – the kitchen is not holding back here. The whole peanuts in the dish added a rich nuttiness that balanced out some of the acidity in the dish. This was refreshing for me despite the fieriness of the chili heat – definitely, very close to Ped (Thai chili hot).

Another appetizer that is a good litmus test of a Thai kitchen is its rendition of Sate Chicken. This restaurant’s version was out of the ordinary and it definitely wowed me. Unlike many versions that I have eaten before, here the pieces of chicken were well marinated in turmeric and root aromatics like galangal making each moist piece full of flavor and aromatic, enough to stand by itself. The accompanying sauce was also revelatory. Most restaurants serve a bland version made with peanut butter but here, I tasted a version made with crushed peanuts, root aromatics, palm sugar as the sweetener, and tamarind juice as the sour element, an authentic sauce that I have tasted on the other side of the world. The toasted pieces of bread were the perfect vehicle to mop up the sauce to its last drop. The bowl of sweet pickles was probably a bit too fresh and they could have done with a longer pickling. But that was very minor compared to the main players of this opening dish. Yummm!

Noodle dishes seem to be calling my name every time I visit a Thai restaurant and I had to sample their offerings. A friend’s order of Pad See Euw was his lunch on one occasion. The wide pieces of rice noodles were slightly bouncy fresh and adequately sauced without being drowned by it, tasting savory from Thai soy and quite sweet that made each bite irresistible. The crunchy broccoli, moist chicken slices, and wispy clouds of egg added the necessary tasty elements to the dish, which made this version pleasurable for my friend. My order of Pad Kee Mao, or Drunken Noodle, was totally up my alley. The wide noodles were fresh and not oily, adequately covered by a savory sauce (which remains a secret enigma to me to this day), mixed with slightly crunchy sweet peppers and onion strips, fragrant fresh purple basil, biting fresh bird chilies, moist meat, and pieces of sweet tomato. This was an damn good version of my favorite Thai noodle dish, and it hit the right spots for me.

Very few fried rice dishes impress me these days but my friend’s order here was something else. The fresh tasting rice was cooked with bits of slightly crunchy carrot bits, sweet white onions, juicy tomato, topped with perfectly cooked shrimp, pungent green onions, bits of scrambled eggs, and served with fresh cucumber slices. But what ties these disparate elements together is the flavoring added to the mixture, made from Thai soy sauce, containing a je-ne-sai-quoi added to regular soy, and a hint of fish sauce. Despite being engrossed in my delicious noodle dish I couldn’t help but spoon from his rice place and enjoy the flavor profile of this dish. When it is done right, this dish sings in the mouth, and it did in this case.

No meal in a Thai restaurant would be complete without ordering a curry dish, or a couple of them. On one visit, I ordered the Green Curry. My bowl arrived with lean pork, Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, sweet peppers, and purple basil. Being a curry dish, the main player is the curry sauce, and this version was outstanding for me. It had a slight peppery quality with a vegetal green chili fragrance, made more aromatic with root herbs and the basil. But the cooking of the curry paste with fresh tasting coconut milk resulted in a well amalgamated mixture that stands out from other versions. It was slightly sweet which points to the Thai sensibility for this seasoning as integral to the authentic palate. Another visit’s order of the Red Curry was equally superb with the same ingredients as the above dish with exception of the curry paste. The sauce was a bit more fiery with the use of red chilies in the paste with a darker leaf aroma from the use of Kaffir lime leaf – the evidence of a soften leaf points to adequate cooking to render all its flavor into the sauce. I was again impressed by the skillful cooking that gave the curry a magical quality that I have not experienced often with this dish.

Although the sweet offerings here are sparse, I had to give them a try since they were some of my favorites. The Fried Bananas came as mini spring rolls stuffed with pieces of banana, and topped with some honey and toasted sesame seeds. The dough was fried crispy and nearly greaseless, encasing a filling of soft sweet banana, made even sweeter by the honey and fragrant from the sesame seeds. An order of Mango and Sticky Rice was a special on another visit. After getting a confirmation from the cook that the mangoes were prime and sweet, I received a plate with pieces in such heavenly state. The side of sticky glutinous rice topped with coconut cream was an equal partner to the ripe fruit. It had enough saltiness to match the sweet fruit and rich from some quality coconut crème made nutty from a topping of fried mung beans, an addition that wavers from the usual sesame seeds. What impressed me the most of this dish was the rice, which was perfectly cooked and matched in seasoning and creaminess. I know how tricky it is to cook this grain well, and that is why most restaurants can’t get it right. However, this is the best rendition (yes!) of this dessert I have ever tasted, and its delicious ghost aftertaste still haunts my taste buds.

Something good is going on here, especially in that small kitchen: woodsy shiitake mushrooms in perfectly wrapped spring rolls, well-seasoned Tom Yum soup, fiery and smoky chicken salad, spicy and nutty papaya salad, the well-marinated Sate chicken and irresistible sauce, perfectly seasoned noodles with barely a trace of oil, savory fried rice that puts all others to shame, curries with an aromatic sauce perfectly balanced with quality coconut milk and paired with fragrant jasmine rice, the best sticky rice ever tasted along with sweet ripe mangoes, and sweet soft bananas encased in sticky crispy dough. Looking at the photos that I took, you see an undivided attention given to each dish even in the simple garnishes on the plate. In Korean, this is called “hand flavor” which is indescribable but only can be felt or tasted. Well, this place sure has it, and when I am this inspired, I want to get a glimpse of Mrs. Chef in the kitchen. One day I hope to personally thank her for such skillful cooking. This place is most definitely Aroy! (Tasty!)