Thanks to a recent renovation, this once-drab Wheaton gem, now in its 16th year, is not only bigger and better; it’s also more conducive to the kind of leisurely evening the cooking has always deserved.
You won’t find a more consistent restaurant of its kind. Or a more authentic one. Unlike Thai restaurants that equate spicy food with authentic food, the aim here is a balance among disparate elements. The best dishes distinguish themselves with a bright and popping intensity as opposed to a scorching heat.
The kitchen is particularly skilled with the fry basket, which produces such standouts as angel wings–a virtuosic preparation in which a chicken wing is turned into a crab/pork/chicken lollipop–a light fritter of watercress and shrimp, crispy whole fish in red curry, and cinnamon-rubbed duck with basil.
Also good: Chicken larb, tangy ground meat dressed with onions, cilantro and lime; dried fish with spicy lime dressing; sautéed mussels with black beans and ginger.
Open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner, Sunday for dinner.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
