With the opening two months ago of the Mekong Cafe, the number of Thai restaurants along the Wasatch Front totals three. There would be five if the Bua Thai and Sala Siam had been able to sustain a steady clientele. Yet three Thai restaurants represents a gastronomic leap for a restaurant market that still revolves around meat and potatoes.
Thai cuisine has more in common with India and China than its Southeast Asia neighbors. Curries and hot chili peppers combine with distinctive flavors such as lemon grass, basil and garlic in sauces enriched with coconut milk or peanuts. Stir frying is the common preparation, allowing vegetables and other ingredients to retain crispness and color. Presentation is another key ingredient of Thai cuisine.The Mekong Cafe, named after the river which originates in Tibet and meanders through the Indochinese Peninsula, had a shorter journey from its roots in Berkeley before settling on State Street in Midvale. But the dishes we sampled sent us on a delightful culinary journey that continues to tantalize diners around the globe.
The Thai satay appetizers of charbroiled chicken and beef ($4.25) were meltingly tender and enhanced by the peanut curry dipping sauce. The spring rolls ($4.25), filled with ground chicken, carrots, lettuce and thin transparent noodles, were just a bit greasy, but tasty nonetheless. The som tum, or papaya salad, ($4.95) had a bit more distinctive flavor, mostly the result of fish sauce added to the shredded papaya, tomato and carrot. While this key component muted the effect of the garlic and lemon juice, we thought it was very good.
Other appetizers include pan-fried oysters ($4.75) with a chili sauce; calamari salad ($4.50) seasoned with lemon juice, cilantro, ginger and mint leaves; and grilled beef salad ($4.50), tossed with red onion, cucumber, tomato and nam-ila (fish sauce).
The traditional po-tak or fisherman's soup was laced with calamari, shrimp, fish chunks and crab meat in a hot and sour broth seasoned with lemon grass and cilantro root. It was, like the other dishes we sampled, more understated than we had expected. This might have been the result of our asking the waiter to "go easy" on the hot seasoning. This didn't explain the sparse basil with the gai kra prow ($5.70), chicken in basil stir fried with chili peppers and garlic, or the paucity of some flavors, like the bland broth with the po-tak.
We tempered the sweetness of peanut sauce with the red curry beef ($5.75) by adding more chili sauce. It livened the dish right up. Perhaps "gentle" seasonings, an option on the menu, could be increased to "mild" or even "hot" for some items. "Authentic" is, in case you are interested, the hottest rating; sort of like expert on the arcade games.
The lard nar , another recommended traditional Thai dish, also needed a bit of spicing up. Even the black bean sauce had more than a hint of sweetness, a characteristic that we noticed with each of our dishes. This was also apparent with the dipping sauces, too.
Other entrees from the extensive menu include chicken coconut milk soup, grilled pork in coconut milk and teriyaki sauce, angel wings (fried stuffed boneless chicken wings), roasted duck with spinach and chili sauce, grilled prawns and a seafood special sauteed with tofu and a quail egg.
The batter on the fried banana dessert was a bit too salty, in contrast to the sweetness of our entrees, but a sticky pepper rice topped with custard had interesting taste and texture.
Mekong Cafe presents a palatable choice for aficionados of Thai food as well as novices. With reasonable prices, uncluttered interior and attentive help, it might be a good starting place for beginners.
Rating: * * * 1/2
Mekong Cafe, 7725 S. State, Midvale. 566-5747. Open for lunch and dinner from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. seven days a week. Accepts major credit cards and check with guarantee card.- NOTE: While neighborhood and company parties are now starting to fill up the dates on our calendars, this time of the year is also the busiest for restaurants. Between now and New Year's, many of us will find ourselves slogging through the snow to our favorite restaurant for a respite from shopping and cooking at home.
One of Salt Lake's most colorful restaurants, Baci Trattoria, in the spirit of the season, has introduced a new menu with lighter fare and, by my calculations, a reduction of the prices of some of its specialties, such as pizza from its wood-burning oven and antipasta specialties. From the looks at the revised bill of fare, Baci Trattoria would offer a flavorful celebration for the season.
If homebaking is more a hassle than it's worth, then we have more good news. We've received word that one of the partners of Chisten Ibhan Agus Gobnait, the little Irish bakery once housed in the Ninth and Ninth block of stores, is now baking special orders. If you have a yearning for Christmas puddings, mince tarts, Welsh cheese cakes, Cornish pasties, sausage rolls, Irish soda bread and scones, call Yvonne Smyth-Kirchner at 364-0800. It's the right time of year to celebrate the return of Chistin's.