Who knew exploring Thai food could be this much fun?
At the Bangkok Oriental in Pasadena, a little place in a Ritchie Highway strip mall, the food was delicious, portions generous, atmosphere charming, and waiters and patrons anxious to help me and my dining accomplice Gary navigate Southeast Asian cuisine.
We began with an appetizer of fried tofu with sweet and sour pepper dip. Chewing the tofu seemed to go on forever, and although the bright red sauce with crushed peanuts provided the flavor of the dish, it was not enough to carry the tofu wedges, which were sadly cracker-like.
We were not sure what to select from almost 50 entrees, so the couple at a nearby table in the nearly empty dining room offered help. They were regulars who enjoyed the solicitous waiters, the linger-as-long as-you-like policy and the cozy dining room with the fans and gold-framed pictures. They pointed out a few of their favorites such as Panaeng curry and a soft-shell crab dish and told us we couldn't go wrong with any order.
They were right. We decided on a curried vegetable dish in a green sauce; pud Thai -- the classic, signature rice noodle and shrimp platter of Thai restaurants; and a third dish, "drunken shrimp," which combined a different noodle with shrimp and a few vegetables.
The waiter said that the vegetable curry could come with a red sauce instead of green and that everything was seasoned to order. He wanted to make sure his chef didn't overwhelm us with spices and destroy the dining experience with a too heavy-handed dose of chili peppers. He also fretted that we'd ordered too much food for one meal but relented when we said we'd take home whatever we couldn't finish.
Although I wouldn't describe any of the food as mild, it was all within reasonable spice limits and none of it disappointing.
The curry platter blended fresh broccoli, zucchini, snow peas, carrots and baby corn with a sauce made from coconut milk, green chilies and more than dozen spices that created the curry. The vegetables were perfectly done and worked well with the sauce and a side dish of sticky white rice.
The pud Thai noodles were chewy and spunky in a red sauce with big shrimp, while the drunken shrimp was linguine-like with a less discernible sauce but equally large shrimp. I thought the noodles in both dishes were a little oily; Gary liked both of them.
During the meal I wondered why only a handful of patrons dined during the almost three hours we spent there on a weeknight. But it proved a benefit for us: The staff had plenty of time to see that we knew what we were getting with our order, and no one hurried to get us out of the door to make room for other diners.
And the prices were reasonable: About $50 bought an appetizer, three entrees, four beverages and a nice time.
Bangkok Oriental
Where: 8043 F Ritchie Highway, Pasadena, 410-766-0973.
Hours: Lunch from 11: 30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday. Dinner from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Prices: Appetizers from $2.75 to $10.95; soups and salads from $1.95 to $7.95; and entrees from $5.95 to $16.75.
Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express.
Rating: ***
Ratings: * -- a culinary wasteland; **** -- culinary heaven
Pub Date: 6/19/97
