We didn’t go out to eat often when I was little, but when we did, chances were pretty high that it was with my grandparents to Taste of Thai after church on Sunday. The sounds and aromas of a well-oiled kitchen waft out the cracked-open screen kitchen, and the smell of fried spring rolls permeates the dining area inside. I spent most of my childhood ordering the same three meals, chicken fried rice, Pad Pak (stir-fried veggies and chicken in sauce), and Chef’s Special Sesame Chicken. Deciding to indulge my recent attraction to curry, I opted for the Tofu Green Curry with veggies.
The curry came in a massive container and included another carton of white rice to use as the base. I was pretty happy with the rice because the curry sauce texture was pretty thin, almost more of a broth. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it worked really well to eat over rice in a bowl like a chunky soup. The flavor was wonderful and had a pretty solid kick in the back of the throat that kept me maintaining a low sweat and runny nose as I ate two bowls of the mixture. The coconut milk in the curry was one of the dominant flavors and complimented the vegetable mixture, especially the bamboo shoots.
The bamboo shoots and spinach were my two favorite vegetable additions. The saltiness and tender texture of the bamboo shoots were a great addition, and the freshness from the spinach was very welcome amidst the spice. As far as the other veggies go, I was a little disappointed about how crunchy they were. I found myself wishing they had been given a little more time to soften and absorb the flavors of the curry. They felt more like an afterthought into the dish rather than a crucial part of the whole package.
The tofu was intriguingly wonderful, to be honest. It had almost the texture of marshmallows and had fully absorbed the sauce and flavors. The tofu taste was not overpowering (which is a good thing for me), and made its presence more about texture and supporting the sauce instead of tofu’s potential ability to wrongfully (again, in my opinion) steal the show.
Taste of Thai possesses a wide range of talent, encompassing a broad scale of flavors and dining experiences. I don’t think there is any other restaurant I have visited as many times as this one, and a big part of that is their consistency. I have never been disappointed with my choice of dish, and from the experiences I have had thus far, I don’t expect to regret an order anytime soon.
