Bangkok Gardens
August 1, 2008 at 1:04 p.m.
Although I’m not a big fan of curry (I tried, and I just don’t like it), I love Bangkok Gardens. It’s good food with a laid-back atmosphere and relatively inexpensive dishes. You can feel as if you went to a really nice restaurant and only have to throw down a twenty for a meal and a drink. Plus, the water cups are made of tin.
By far my favorite dish on the menu is #16 Moo Taud. The geniuses back in the kitchen take filets of pork, bread and fry them. Alongside the pork are sauteed broccoli, cabbage and onions. The dish is brought together by white rice and a slightly sweet pepper sauce on the side. That’s where the heat kicks in.
Bangkok Gardens uses a 1-10 spice scale for most of their dishes. The diner can choose the spice level of their own dish. I always order a three. I feel that ordering anything less is looked down upon. I haven’t ever tried it, so I’m not sure if the server would roll his or her eyes at you or just point at laugh. But I’d rather not try. Nor have I ever ventured higher than a three. Some day I might be brave, but for now a three is good. Anyway, I’m weak, and a three still makes me cry.
On my most recent visit, I branched out from the perfection that is #16 and opted instead for a noodle dish, #2 Phat See Eiu in specific. Again, I ordered it at three-level hotness. Broccoli, onions, cabbage and carrots in a teriyaki-style sauce sit on a bed of rice noodles. Because the sauce is already mixed in with the noodle and veggies, I am at the mercy of the chef. With the Moo Taud I add the sauce. This is important, because depending on the day a level three can mean very different things. One day I might go and pour all of the sauce on and be fine. The next day, a small amount will leave my eyes tearing and my nose running (always good at the dinner table).
The food is always good, and I’ve convinced at least three other people that #16 is the best dish in Columbia. The service, however is quite another story. On this most recent visit we sat at the table for a solid five minutes before anyone ever came over to the table. He did make up for it by splitting the check even though it explicitly says on the menu that they don’t split checks.
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