Bangkok
- A city renowned for it's unique and distinctive cuisine. A harmonious
fusion of the spicy and the sweet; the piquant and the subtle. Now, in
Providenciales, East meets West at Bangkok Express!
Since opening in March 2005, Bangkok Express has quickly become an island favourite. Born and raised in Bangkok, owner, J.P., was taught the art of Thai cuisine from his Mother. Upon introducing his culinary talents to his friends here on Provo, they pleaded with him to open a restaurant to ensure a steady supply of his tantalizing Thai creations for all to experience and enjoy.
Variety is the spice of life, and at Bangkok Express, variety presents itself in over 50 mouth-watering and tempting take-out selections. Two heads are better than one; and four heads are better than two; but still a quandary existed in making decisions on just what to try from their most extensive and creative menu for our party of four. Each menu selection is briefly explained and provides details of the basic ingredients and seasonings. All items are prepared on the mild side; however, if you prefer extra spices you may request 1, 2, or 3 chilies. Caution should be exercised when ordering additional spice!
Although very adventurous in our culinary exploits, we opted for J.P.'s original mild spice recipe. We embarked on our taste of Thai with the first of four appetizers, satay beef. A popular and well-known favourite, chicken or beef is marinated and charcoal grilled in a rich and delicious coconut curry sauce. It is served with additional spiced peanut sauce and complimented with a cool and refreshing cucumber salad. The next appetizer, golden bags, was as appealing to the eye as they were to the palate. Ingenious little "bags" of seasoned shrimp and chicken with an assortment of vegetables wrapped in spring roll skins, tied with celery strings and deep-fried to a golden brown. These tasty morsels were dipped in plum sauce for a wonderful combination of flavours.
Next, delicate, whole shrimp, enveloped in spring roll skins are golden fried and served with a sweet and sour chili sauce. A succulent and luscious delicacy. Last, and most certainly the favourite amongst our crowd, was the Mee Krob. Thai crispy stir-fried noodles with egg, shrimp and sweet and sour sauce, with an incredible depth of flavour compliments of a fusion of tamarind and sugar. Unanimously, a marriage of textures and flavours we raved about all evening. Feeling very satisfied and delighted with our choices of appetizers, we were inspired and eager to move on to the main menu selections.
Pad Thai, certainly the most famous and acclaimed Thai dish was a satisfying medley of rice noodles pan fried with egg, chicken, shrimp, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts. A meal-to-go in itself, this is probably the most celebrated and well known of Thai cuisine.
When it comes to curry dishes, J.P. offers a cornucopia of curries. Red, green, yellow and panang, with your choice of chicken, beef, shrimp, vegetable or tofu. The intensity and character of each curry originates with its paste - the heart, soul and foundation of each irresistible creation. We opted for an unfamiliar choice, panang curry. Similar to a red curry, but sweeter and milder, the flavours were very delicate with enticing aromas.
Beef with peanut sauce, one of the house specialties, was a wonderful melange of saut&Mac218;ed, marinated beef with light curry flavours and peanut sauce served on a bed of steamed mixed vegetables.
When it came to deciding on a dish from the seafood items, seafood pik pow seemed like an intriguing choice. A generous portion of scallops, mussels, shrimp and calamari are saut&Mac218;ed with vegetables in a deliciously difficult to describe pik pow sauce. Full of piquant and delectable flavours, and a wonderful combination of textures, this dish also received enthusiastic thumbs-up from all of us when we dared to put our fork down!
Last, and definitely not least, from three duck selections, we chose to taste the crispy duck. Half of a boneless roast duck and crispy noodles with steamed vegetables served with a garlic and sweet chili sauce. Again, the tender duck and crispy noodles created a heavenly taste sensation - another memorable concoction of sweet, subtle, savoury and crispy.
Bangkok Express was an exceptional eating experience, and a feast for the senses. With our taste of Thai dining experience barely scratching the surface, we still have 39 menu items to try. Also available are several soups, salads, noodles, house specialties, fried rice combinations vegetable dishes, and a multitude of additional meat, chicken and seafood choices.
If you are curious as to what is an appropriate libation to serve with Thai food, I can make a few recommendations. I was hard pressed to find experts who would dare pair wines with these spicy exotic dishes. Care must be taken to avoid wines high in acidity or in oak flavour. Chilled, spicy white wines are best, keeping the following rule of thumb in mind: the spicier the dish, the sweeter the wine. However, the general consensus amongst many experts is that a frosty, cold beer is the perfect accompaniment to counterbalance the intense flavour and heat.
For lunch on the go; a quick and delicious take-out dinner; or an easy and impressive way to entertain in your home, condo or villa, Bangkok Express is a unique and effortless choice. J.P. also offers catering - from small private parties to large buffets. My must heed advice? Make sure you order more than you are hungry for! You'll be glad you did when you can savour the leftovers the following day.
There is an old proverb, which says: "Jack of all trades, master of none." When it comes to J.P., he is most certainly the exception to this rule. With his many varied and successful talents, and his genuine and contagious smile, who knows what J.P. will "cook up" next?
By Mandy Rostance-Wolf
Reprinted from "Where When How - Turks & Caicos Islands" January/February 2006."
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