Zesty fare helps to spice up otherwise bland market
Genie and I were in the mood for something hot and spicy. Having long stared at the Dong Nam sign on ulica Marszalkowska, we decided to give it a try. This multi-level Asian palace features Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine on different levels. Suparom Thaifood I is on the ground floor.
Slavic blonde waitresses in traditional Thai garb greeted us and indicated we could sit anywhere. We chose a table by the window where we could look through the lace curtains at well-illuminated Thai dolls. At 7:30 p.m., we were early for the dinner rush and the place was nearly empty. We watched the tables fill as we pondered the voluminous menu. To aid in this contemplation, our smiling waitress brought a draft EB for me, while Genie made a better choice, going for a bottle of Heveliusz (both zl. 7).
Starters varied from zl. 13-zl. 29 and soups from zl. 15-zl. 28. Pork, poultry, beef and fish main dishes ranged from zl. 30-zl. 48, with most falling in the low end of that range, and rice and noodle dishes went for zl. 22-zl. 35. Desserts were all zl. 10.
The decor was old-style formal. There were many beautiful Thai tapestries with gold thread and beads featuring dancing girls, elephants and such traditional Asian themes as symbols of the zodiac. No Thai restaurant would be complete without a picture of the king and queen, and this was prominently displayed on wooden shelves among vases, urns, parasols, and a glass-encased ship. Curved dark beams ran from the shelves overhead to the opposite walls, giving the impression that we were anywhere but inside the MDM complex.
Both waitresses working the floor were doing their job with pleasant efficiency. In some restaurants you receive enthusiastic but ineffective service; in others, service can be a little less effervescent but twice as efficient. Good service should be unobtrusive and you should hardly want for anything. These women delivered good service to our table and all the tables we watched.
"Our waitress is so nice," said Genie, "she makes me happy to be here." The waitress first brought our chicken satay (zl. 13). The satay was a little disappointing, with only three skewers of slightly greasy grilled chicken. The peanut sauce was somewhat runny, but it had a sweet hotness that left a wee burn on our tongues, and the accompanying cucumber salad was pleasantly bathed in sweet dressing, which balanced the flavors.
As she dropped off the satay, the waitress announced "Pierogi za momencik," indicating that our second appetizer was on the way. Tim sum (zl. 25) were five dumplings stuffed with shrimp and ginger, and topped with ground peanuts. We doused them in oyster sauce and were happily munching away when the soup arrived.
We had ordered tom kha kai soup (zl. 15), a delicious mix of chicken and ginger in coconut milk and lime. To those who haven't tried it, the combination may sound horrible, but it is actually one of the most exquisite Thai dishes. This soup is usually served with chunks of gingerroot and other ingredients that are best left floating in the broth. Suparom's version had generous amounts of chicken but the ginger was chopped so fine as to be difficult to avoid. It was hot in both ways and after cooling down to an eating temperature left a sinus-clearing, two-alarm blaze in our mouths.
For us spicy food lovers, the taste was wonderful and left Genie and me bopping our heads back and forth to the innocuous Muzak permeating the restaurant. We sang along to almost the entire Beatles repertoire and burst out in hysterical laughter at the touching trumpet and clarinet rendition of "Hey Jude." The music was happily stupid and vastly superior to the ear-splitting doses of disco polo that Modular always seems to blare into your breakfast.
For the main course, we chose phad thai (zl. 27) and left the last dish up for our waitress to recommend. She brought marinated pork, sizzling on cast iron and topped with a spice so hot it could burn holes in your floor. The simple preparation of this aptly named marinated grilled pork served with spicy sauce (zl. 32) satisfied our spice cravings while ensuring that the delicate taste of the meat remained discernible through the sauce. It went down well over white rice and was quite satiating.
The phad thai was simply the best I have had in years. Phad thai is another one of those Thai dishes that produces an exquisite taste from the least likely of ingredients: chicken, egg, garlic, and orange sauce over noodles, topped with ground peanuts and bean sprouts. It is not a delicate taste mix and is best served over the top. Suparom serves it very tangy and tasty.
After all this, Genie and I were much too full for dessert but asked for a pot of green tea to perk us up before leaving. We decided to walk home to work off some of the food. The bill came to zl. 189 ($46) for a large dinner without dessert. The food was extremely tasty but also left each of us with slight indigestion, which we attributed to an overdose of pepper and which cleared without medical intervention. This restaurant is not for the weak of stomach. It is, however, top of the list for Thai food in Warsaw. Any shortcomings were offset by the delight of discovering a spicy food palace in the capital's relatively bland market. We will be back.
