There is something to be said for just wandering out of your hotel and stumbling upon the first restaurant you find. But we probably would never have found Ahrarn Thai if we had done that. Instead we downloaded one of those "make sense of the big city" apps to my I-Phone and it threw up this place as the only recommended restaurant in our hotel's vicinity.
Ahrarn Thai is an unassuming place, it does takeaway as well, and we enjoyed a few Singha Beers at great prices over our meal.
We started with seafood spring rolls. Those tasty babies were nothing like what we were expecting. The usual pastry wrappers were replaced by an interweaved net of light noodles. This removed the oily and fatty flavour that sometimes accompanies spring rolls. And the usual moist inside was instead a mix of cooked and dried seafood. Served with a tasty sweet sauce these kept our attention from the Thai salad we also ordered. But once we discovered the salad with the bean cake and the fresh lettuce and bean sprout we kept it to finish with our mains - despite the waitresses' attempt to take it away from us.
Ahrarn Thai is an unassuming place, it does takeaway as well, and we enjoyed a few Singha Beers at great prices over our meal.
We started with seafood spring rolls. Those tasty babies were nothing like what we were expecting. The usual pastry wrappers were replaced by an interweaved net of light noodles. This removed the oily and fatty flavour that sometimes accompanies spring rolls. And the usual moist inside was instead a mix of cooked and dried seafood. Served with a tasty sweet sauce these kept our attention from the Thai salad we also ordered. But once we discovered the salad with the bean cake and the fresh lettuce and bean sprout we kept it to finish with our mains - despite the waitresses' attempt to take it away from us.
One of the joys of vegaquarianism is that you can define the boundaries of your diet. We eat seafood and get to choose what is included in the definition of seafood. Is crocodile seafood? What about duck? How about Kimberley beef (it gets pretty wet in those parts)? We had previously decided that crocodile is seafood, as long as it was the saltwater variety. But what about frogs? After surveying the menu I decided it was perfectly fine for us vegaquarians to order the Gob Panaeng - frog's leg's fried with panaeng paste and coconut milk. They were served with Thai Basil which added a complementary anise flavour.
It was only when Cassy had picked off the meat from the bones and was contemplating what to do with the bones when it dawned on her. She had forgotten the need to decided whether frog's legs were in or out; due mainly to her excitement at seeing them on the menu. She avoided the inner turmoil that I (briefly) experienced and instead suffered a delayed bone crunching horror which I quickly dispelled by reassuring her that frog's legs were definitely in.
It was only when Cassy had picked off the meat from the bones and was contemplating what to do with the bones when it dawned on her. She had forgotten the need to decided whether frog's legs were in or out; due mainly to her excitement at seeing them on the menu. She avoided the inner turmoil that I (briefly) experienced and instead suffered a delayed bone crunching horror which I quickly dispelled by reassuring her that frog's legs were definitely in.
The soft shelled crab was presented with a more traditional basil, chilli pepper and onion smothering (Koong Kra Prow). The spiciness of this dish kept us reaching for our Singhas, the Thai salad and the large glasses of iced water which were regularly topped up.
Our I-Phone app didn't let us down - it still hasn't actually! So maybe download "The Best of New York City" if you are planning a trip this way. And definitely catch a train to Queens and check out Arharn Thai. And then head out for a few beers at nearby Veronica's bar. We enjoyed a great Saturday night in this little 'hood.
Our I-Phone app didn't let us down - it still hasn't actually! So maybe download "The Best of New York City" if you are planning a trip this way. And definitely catch a train to Queens and check out Arharn Thai. And then head out for a few beers at nearby Veronica's bar. We enjoyed a great Saturday night in this little 'hood.