Krungthep Mahanakorn...

...amornratanakosin mahintara yutthayamahadilok phop nopparatrajathani burirom udomrajaniwes mahasatharn amornphimarn avatarnsathit sakkattiya visanukam prasit.

Nested in a slightly rundown strip mall in a good part of town, is a cozy Thai restaurant, Bangkok Thai Cuisine.

The parking was a bit of a pain. With 2 feet of ice packed along the perimeter of the back parking lot and people who don't know how to park, we scrubbed our car down to the base navigating in the dark, dinky back parking lot. We drove to the front, where there is 1 row of parking along the length of the mall. We lucked out and pulled in to a spot right in front of the restaurant as someone left.

Walking in, you are immediately greeted by a short wood panel. Once your eyes focus beyond that, a spicy warm moderately lit dining room in shades of dark blues, browns, orange, and slivers of gold embraces you.

At first, I wanted to try the duck choo chee, but Bug and I decided to try dishes we always order at other Thai restaurants so we are better able to compare.

We ordered pad thai, mango curry, and beef with basil. The prices were a few dollars lower than Lemongrass, and scaled proportionately with the serving size. As far as quantity, this is a great place if you don't want to go home with leftovers. The portions are just the right size to keep you comfortably sated and not ill-full or lugging leftovers around.

My mango curry was rich, but not overwhelming. The balance of tamarind, Thai basil, galangal, fresh mango chunks, coconut, and peppers were perfect. I really enjoyed my dish. Biting into mangos that have texture and flavor is rare in these parts. The serving dishes were a mix of different ceramics. It was eclectic as are many Thai restaurants.

The pad thai was tasty and not overly sweet. Not too different from the other Thai restaurants -- I wouldn't expect it to be very different anyway. I wish I could have had more, so that's a good thing.

The beef basil that Bug had was delicious. I think Bug was disappointed because his platter wasn't larger. I thought it was the same amount of food, just served in a different shaped platter. I picked through this because he always gets it with onions, so at most I had 2 bites. What I tasted, I liked. It wasn't very different from other places, except this one didn't taste quite so salty. Not so good for most people, great for me. Too bad. :)

Since I am finishing this up months after our trip there, I am trying to remember if jasmine rice was served. I have the strangest feeling that it wasn't, but that sounds ridiculous since Thai food blends so well with jasmine rice but not so much with other rice. Oh well. I guess that means we have to go back to verify this.

- Cassaendra

Bangkok Thai Cuisine
5359 Mayfield Road
Lyndhurst, OH 44124