Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

Bangkok Kitchen
1980 Galindo St., Concord
(925) 680-4421

Dinner: Mon-Thurs 5p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat 5p.m.?10 p.m.
Sun 4:30-9:30

At night, the interior of [tag]Bangkok Kitchen[/tag] is very elegant. Lights reflect in the glass-covered tables and mirrors on the walls creating a cool glitter. Giant images of Buddha add a reminder of the sacredness of food.

The large group with whom I dined I was greeted with cool sophistication. When ordering we found it best to use the numbers rather than try to pronounce the names or even use the translations. This service was not warm by the usual Western standards, but very polite, respectful, and efficient.

Our meal started off with Tod Mun, fish cakes with green beans and a sweet cucumber sauce. The fish cakes were not greasy, but also were not very warm. The sauce served with them had the essence of cucumber as well as the real thing.

Next we all had a vegetarian version of Tom Yam, a spicy and sour soup with lemon grass, mushrooms, lemon leaves and tofu. We were served in individual cups. I missed the communal interaction of being served from one large pot. The soup had a nice lemony flavor and was very light, but was neither as spicy nor sour as I expected.

Each of us ordered an a la carte item, that we shared around the table family-style. The Kang Keaw Wan, chicken in green curry with coconut milk, sweet basil and eggplant, was a little disappointing. The curry was a very pale green and the basil very mild. The Gai Yang, marinated barbeque chicken with Thai herbs and a sweet and sour sauce, was very light and clean tasting.

The Gai Himaparn, sliced chicken with crispy chilies, onions, mushrooms and roasted cashew nuts, added both the spice of the chilies and the richness of nuts to the selection. One person in search of heat ate a few of the chilies whole. The first one added the heat he wanted. The next chili tasted dry and flavorless in his mouth.

From the vegetarian menu we tried the Kra Prow, mixed vegetables saut?ed with tofu, silver noodles, bamboo shoots, sweet basil and hot peppers. This was one of those very clean dishes cooked seemingly without any oil. The Pad Makuer, eggplants saut?ed with garlic, chilies, bell peppers and sweet basil was the surprise of the night. The eggplant was cooked perfectly. The sauce was neither too sweet nor too spicy and yet very rich.

Unfortunately someone asked me how this meal compared with what I ate while traveling in Thailand. Immediately the food in front of me became bland. This is not a fair comparison; nothing can compare with eating outdoors while on vacation in a foreign country. However I missed certain flavors. The spiciness was not here, nor was the sour or the bitter.

Overall the food at Bangkok Kitchen matches the elegance of the setting. The food is clean, fresh, and well prepared. One couple reported seeing a group of Buddhist monks eat here, and this didn?t surprise me. This is food fit for royalty.

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