THAI RESTAURANT TAKES ITS SPICE SERIOUSLY,
Kitchener’s Bangkok Cuisine Thai restaurant takes its spice levels seriously. They promise to add enough heat to suit every taste, from “no spice” to “top of the line,” which even eclipses “very hot.”
Located in a small strip mall on Weber Street, their attractive restaurant is small but comfortable. There are booths along both side walls, and tables arranged in the centre of the room. The spare décor is tasteful with the tables kept bare, and deep purple, gold and green for the colour scheme.
It was quiet when we arrived on a Thursday evening with only one other table occupied. It didn’t get much busier, but there was a steady stream of takeout orders heading out the door.
We were welcomed immediately as we came in the front door and seated at a booth. Our server brought two glasses of water with lemon and a basket of shrimp crackers along with the menus.
Our server was like a tour guide as she took us through the menu as she offered detailed information on flavours, spice levels, and popular items. There were several newer items and she gave us a good idea of how they compared to the older standards.
The alcoholic beverage menu is small, but covers all the basics with two types of red and white wines, several beers with some Asian options, and inventive cocktails. My husband ordered a bottle of imported beer ($6.50) and I chose an Italian Pinot Grigio ($11.25 for 8 ounces).
We ordered our appetizers first, and enjoyed our drinks while we spent more time considering the extensive menu.
Our three appetizers were attractively displayed on matching white platters. We tried the Neau Tod ($8.25) first, which consisted of strips of beef marinated in a barbecued-flavoured sauce, with hot sauce and pickled ginger on the side. The beef was pleasantly spicy, and the hot sauce on the side had a real kick. Unfortunately, the beef was slightly over cooked so it was chewy.
The Crispy Shrimp ($8.25) were five large tiger shrimp stuffed with minced chicken in an egg pastry shell served with plum sauce. They were served hot and were very tasty. The chicken filling was nicely flavoured and the outside shell was thin and crispy. The plum sauce was appealingly thick and tasted of real fruit.
The Crispy Rolls ($6.50 for a serving of two) were large spring rolls filled with minced chicken, black mushroom, bean thread noodles, carrots, bean sprouts and green onion cooked in a crispy rice paper. Eaten piping hot and dipped in sweet chili sauce they were good, but similar to standard spring rolls.
By this time we had ordered our three main dishes to share: a noodle dish, a curry dish and a traditional entrée.
The Thai Peanut Noodles ($13.95) consisted of rice noodles cooked in their special Thai peanut sauce along with bean sprouts and green onions. Ordered mild with tofu, it had a pleasing creamy peanut flavour. A few more vegetables could be added for contrast but it was very tasty.
We then had the Pad Pak with beef ($13.95), with a side of jasmine rice. Perfectly cooked broccoli, baby corn, pea pods, carrots, cabbage and water chestnuts and pieces of tender beef were served in the Bangkok’s special sauce, ordered mild. The sauce has an oyster sauce base which was fine, but a bit plain so I would definitely request extra spice if I were to order it again.
The Pattani Curry with chicken ($13.95), ordered medium, was fantastic. The red coconut curry sauce with cashews, baby corn, tomato, carrots, peapods, and green onion over rice incorporated the exact amount of heat to make it a stand out.
Impressed with both the service and quality of food, we will definitely return to sample more of their intriguing menu. We won’t hesitate to increase the spice level as the Bangkok Cuisine clearly understands how to add heat without sacrificing flavour.