Well Fed On the Town

I’m not a big lover of soups.

I have a bowl now and then, and I generally like it, but I don’t go out of my way to praise soup. However, from now, until the end of time as I know it, every meal I have at Taste of Thailand will start with Chicken Coconut Hot & Sour Soup. I firmly do NOT believe that there are adequate words to describe this soup, but I’m going to give it a shot.

Visually, it is amazing. A golden yellow color, you also see the bits of green (Kaffir Lime Leaves, Basil, Green Onion), the red from the tomato and the tiny pieces of chili, all served in a Lava Pot. Which is like a soup moat surrounding a volcano. (Volcano, Lava…get it?)

The broth is thin in consistency, light and not the least bit oily. It has a slight creamy quality that comes from the coconut milk (though, there are so many flavors going on, those who dislike coconut likely won’t notice it in this dish). Inside the broth, there are fresh mushrooms, small wedges of tomato, pieces of chicken breast, ginger, lemon grass, cilantro, honey, diced thai chilis, green onion, salt, pepper, fresh basil and Kaffir lime leaves.

When you put a tomato, mushroom and chicken laden bite into your mouth, the first thing that hits you is the bit of sweet that contacts your tongue, but as it washes over your tongue, the sweet immediately gives way to a tangy, tart sensation from the kaffir lime leaves. A bit of the heat seeps in now, tempered by the coconut milk and once more the sweet starts to reassert itself as the honey comes out and dances on the palate with the salt.

Now folks, we’re just talking FLAVOR at this point. This has all taken place in a fraction of a second. Now, the aroma hits. The fresh basil, ginger, kaffir lime leaves and cilantro make an interesting and potent combination as the aroma sweeps into your sinuses and overtakes whatever it was you may have been smelling before.

Finally, you bite down and your teeth push easily through the perfectly cooked chicken, slice through a tomato then squish delicately into the mushroom as it compresses and finally is cut by your chewing.

Combined with the sound of quiet, content sighs from yourself and your friends while eating this soup, it is the perfect “five sense” assault.

Sidenote, be sure to stir the soup as you are ladling it out, so you can get the goodies on the bottom like the honey, mushrooms, chicken and chilis.

In all fairness, I would like to point out that we are only at the soup course so far. Co-workers and I enjoyed lunch at Taste of Thailand this week. The Chicken Coconut Hot & Sour Soup started our meal as well as an order of lettuce wraps.

Diced chicken, potato, spices and aromatic herbs were served up with a light, tangy honey chili sauce with a side of lettuce leaves. I would have preferred something other than Iceberg lettuce, but really, that was secondary to the tasty filling.

Chalie, the Chef, Manager, Maitre d’, Waiter and all around go-to guy at Taste of Thailand, is very quick to offer helpful suggestions and advice on how to best enjoy Thai food. As usual, when I ordered Red Beef Curry, he asked how spicy I wanted it…and was very encouraging when I said 10, on the 1-10 scale. When our lunch orders arrived he also pointed out that they should be stirred and served up from the bottom because that is where the “heat” is.

The lunch portions were very generous and well priced. My Red Beef Curry came in a bowl filled with the coconut and red curry paste broth, fresh basil, flecks of red pepper, other vegetables and thin slices of beef. The plate had a mound of Jasmine rice for the curry, a fried vegetable ball and a spring roll with a small dipping bowl of the honey chili sauce, all for $6.95.

My fellow diners enjoyed Broccoli Noodles (stir fried flat noodles in a brown sauce with broccoli and in this case giant jumbo shrimp ($3.00 extra, making it $9.95) and Ginger Chicken, stir fried sliced chicken breast with ginger, onion, bell pepper and mushrooms, also $6.95.

Everything was enjoyed in the cozy, colorfully decorated atmosphere and washed down with thick, creamy, sweet Thai Iced Tea.

If you have enjoyed Thai Food in the past, you will find Taste of Thailand to easily hold its own with the best that you have had anywhere. If you are new to Thai food, clear out some space for fresh memories of some of the most aromatic, intensely flavorful food you will have ever eaten.

Oh…and don’t order your food at a 10 on the 1-10 spice scale unless you are certain you can handle the 10. Even those who love spicy foods will want to start at a 7-8 as they learn about Thai Food.

Taste of Thailand
15712 West Center Road
Omaha, NE 68130
(402) 691-9991