Mild but good @ Spoon Thai?

I'm taking the parents to Spoon Thai tomorrow, which will also be my first meal there. I'd normally go for the Thai menu and ratchet up the spice level right away, but my mother is quite averse to all things spicy - while she appreciated TAC, she ended up ordering some vegetables-in-a-brown-sauce kinda thing on the side instead. What should I suggest she order? Again, she's a perfectly adventurous eater - she's just a bit delicate when it comes to chiles and such.

The fried chicken from the Thai menu is savory, delicious and not spicy at all.

I would like to direct your attention to the following links before moving on:

kao-lão mũu yâw : a salad with Vietnamese-style steamed pork sausage, steamed beansprouts, and steamed Chinese broccoli

yam maa-mâa : MaMa™ instant noodle salad with chicken and shrimp

nãem khâo thâwt : a deep-fried rice salad with Northern Thai-style "pressed ham"

With that out of the way, I recommend the following appetizers and salads:

kài má-nao (bàep khriim) : lightly-battered chicken strips with a lime-flavoured mayonnaise sauce

yam wún sên : a spicy and sour salad with warm mung bean noodles and minced pork

yam khài yiaw mûa : preserved egg salad with garlic, peanut, ginger, and lime juice

yam hèt : enoki mushroom salad with roasted rice powder


yam hèt

If it is a curry that you are after, I recommend the following:

kaeng mátsàman (kài, néua) : “Muslim” curry with cardamom and cumin (chicken, beef)

kaeng phánaeng (kài, mũu, néua) : thick, savoury and rich curry (chicken, pork, beef) [no vegetables]

Within the Thai culinary repetoire, a number of dishes are specifically intended to recalibrate and reenergize a flagging/attenuated/over-spiced palate. These dishes are generally very bland in nature. Two excellent examples of such from the Spoon Thai Menu include:

hãwy thâwt : Thai-style mussel omelette

kaeng jèut tâo-hûu : “bland” soup with tofu, pork, and mung bean noodles


kaeng jèut tâo-hûu

Lastly, Mom may freely elect for a one-dish meal, leaving you to suit yourself. If this option is considered, I recommend:

khâo khlûk kà-pì : shrimp paste rice served with sweet pork, sliced omlette, slivered green apple, and red onion


khâo khlûk kà-pì

With the exception of the curries, all of the above dishes can be found on my most recent Spoon Thai Menu translation.

Best of luck,
Erik M.

Hi,

I am chili-heat adverse with a moderate threshold.

Your Mom will welcome the one-bite-salad which is refreshing and elegant.

The fried chicken Will referred does have a chili-component in the dipping sauce, which she can easily avoid.

Banana Blossom Salad does have chili-jam, which you can ask them to lighten its' use. I was there once to learn enough about Banana Blossom Salad (BBS) to describe it. There was a question whether chili jam was used, which is was. Spoon took our interest to mean we wanted more chili jam, where I usually can eat BBS with no problem. This portion with the higher level of chili jam was too much for me, though my instructor was quite pleased with it.

Duck Curry has lots of creamy coconut undertones and not very high in chili heat.

What I am careful about, and your Mom will want to avoid, is stuff like Papaya Salad. That dish usually packs a chili-heat whollop in all the Thai restaurants I've gone to. I just take a tasting amount, then pass it on to those who like it more.

Enjoy your meal!

Thanks, everyone, for your great suggestions! It went quite well - my mother was quite taken with the banana blossom salad, as well as the sticky-rice-and-mango dessert.