Last night we tried the new Bangkok Café (or, according to the restaurant's sign and the menu, the Bangkok Cafe') in downtown Arlington Heights. They relocated from an odd, sideways little strip mall at the south end of town to the spot formerly occupied by the Vail Street Cafe.
It's a relatively small place with a larger party room in the back. It was a nice night and a little warm in the restaurant, so we took a table near the door.
We started with the Crab Rangoon and the Chicken Rice Noodle Soup. The Rangoons were very well done, not overly creamy, and the soup was light and delicious.
Lisa had the Pad Keemau which she described as "surprisingly spicy" and the most attractive presentation of that dish she's ever seen. There wasn't a lot of meat in it, but what was there was very tasty. I had the Pad See Ewe with chicken, which was also very good.
One challenge with Thai food is that the noodles can be over- or underdone very easily. Then there's that tricky zone where if it's not hit just right, they're either al dente or rubbery. In both of our dishes they hit the mark. Also, care has to be taken to ensure that other foods don't influence the dishes being prepared. My only complaint about the Pad See Ewe was that my chicken tasted a little fishy. A few bites into the dish, though, it was fine.
When we left, we offered to hand out carryout menus in exchange for some free crab rangoons, but they didn't go for it.
I admit that I tend to judge restaurants based on other places with similar cuisine. My first experience with Thai food was at Star of Siam in Chicago, and for a while that was top of my list. My two favorite Thai places now are Tamarind Thai at the south end of Arlington and My Thai in the DePaul Building on Jackson Boulevard in Chicago.
Bangkok gives us a very good, nearer-by alternative to these other places.
Posted by jtl at May 26, 2005 06:47 PM