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Friday, June 16, 2000

Bangkok Garden takes diners on a spicy trip to Thailand

Ingleside restaurant lets patrons decide how hot the seasonings will be

At a glance 422 S. Main in Ingleside Phone: (512) 776-3301 Entrees: $5-$10 Credit cards: Yes Wheelchair access: Yes Spirits: Beer and Wine Hours: Monday-Friday: 11 am to 9 pm; Saturday and Sunday: 4:30 pm to 9 pm Food: 2 stars Service: 3 stars Atmosphere: 3 stars

  In the mood for a little Kang Keuw Wahn Shrimp? How about a steaming plate of Pahd Key Mow chicken?
   If you are in the dark about these dishes, you are not alone. Welcome to the world of Thai food. All the rage in larger metropolitan areas, Thai cuisine is again available in South Texas - in Ingleside.
   Fortunately, the kind and patient staff at Bangkok Garden in Ingleside will guide you through the restaurant's menu. A printed explanation in English below each menu selection would be helpful, however, because we found it hard to remember the different explanations after the waitress left the table.
   Restaurant patrons control the spiciness of their food by requesting one star (mildest), two, three or four stars (hottest). As native Texans and lovers of jalapenos, we foolishly gave a thumbs up to the tongue-blistering four-star spice.
   After a cup of egg drop soup, our lunch orders arrived. Pahd Key Mow chicken featured chicken slices, snow peas, shredded carrots and broccoli in a turbo-charged, brown garlic gravy. Coconut milk infused with chili paste was the base for a sauce served over zucchini, carrots, mushrooms and large shrimp in Kang Keuw Wahn Shrimp. Finally, hot, hot, hot curry with pork, shrimp, chicken and mixed vegetables made up the third entree, Curry Delight. Each dish was accompanied by fried rice and a dry, over-cooked egg roll.
   The food was good, but we found we were amateurs when it came to Thai spices. The four-star seasoning is incredibly hot. Next time I think I'll ratchet back a notch to three stars and see if my tongue still has any feeling half way through the meal.
   With our lunch, we ordered a house specialty, Thai sweet iced tea. We were not prepared for the milky, orange concoctions we were served. The combination of sweetened coconut milk and oriental tea was too rich for our palates and seemed incompatible with the fiery food, at least by American standards. The exotic tea might be worth a try at the end of the meal as a dessert drink.
   For the less adventurous, Bangkok Garden also boasts a full Chinese menu, but its specialty is Thai. Inside the restaurant you will find decorations from Thailand including an interesting Buddhist shrine complete with incense and food offerings.
   Ingleside is just 20 minutes from downtown Corpus Christi and Bangkok Garden, in a neon green and yellow house on Main Street, is easy to find. Lunch crowds sometimes fill the tiny dining area to capacity, so be prepared for a possible wait at the wine and beer bar if you arrive between noon and 12:30.
  
  

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