Finally got Spoon (Thai) fed

I'd been looking for an excuse to go for ages, and my college roommate (JV) and his wife (CV) were in town, so we met there this evening. Great meal!

Armed with Erik's secret menu (we were thanked for printing it out ourselves by one of the staff), the four of us had a variety of standard, printed special and "secret" items.

mîang kham (on Erik M's secret translation)/miang cahm (on printed specials) "One-Bite" salad: Delicious. Lettuce topped with toasted coconut, peanuts, dried shrimp, lime peel and ginger, plus a sweet, thick fishy sauce to spoon on top. Except for some weird textural effects from all those fibrous ingredients (is that the shrimp or just a piece of lime peel?), I loved this and would order it again. The sauce is not for a first-time Thai diner: it's quite pungent, and flavors you won't get anywhere else.

muu ping (on Erik M's secret translation)/ moo bing (on printed specials): Grilled skewered pork with a sweet, spicy sauce. Much, much better than the satay it resembles, and the sauce was spiced perfectly. More spice than sweet, it's not the usual chile-flecked sweet sauce you usually get with many Thai appetizers. The meat was tender and juicy, not the dry sticks satay can be.

Grilled Squid appetizer: Probably the least exciting item. Kinda rubbery, and served with the classic chile-flecked sweet sauce.

náam tòk: Grilled beef salad (secret). This is one of my home standards, but I've never had this so good. Fiery hot, and perfect balance of flavors. There's something in this I don't do, and I'm guessing it might be something as simple as higher-quality fish sauce.

Stir-fried shrimp (printed specials): In red curry sauce with green beans: This was the prettiest dish of the night, with carved cucumbers and a beautiful plate. Perfectly spiced sauce on the shrimp, enough to soak up the rice but not enough to be a standard curry. Green beans and red bell peppers a nice foil for the heat.

Ginger Chicken (ordinary menu): Light gingery sauce, great balance.

Vegetables: Didn't taste, but CV liked them.

Catfish Curry Custard: By the time this arrived, I was too full to taste, and it's not a combo that sounded great to me. JV disliked this, and ordered Paad Si-Ew as a substitute. Another beautifully-presented dish in a banana leaf with white and red garnish on top.

I'd be happy to go back again: The menu is extensive and I could eat there many times without repeats.