Rejoice: Thailand restaurant reopens

Lovers of Thai cuisine will be happy to know that Watertown's only Thai restaurant is back in operation again.

The Thailand Thai Restaurant has moved from outer Pearl Street to outer State Street. The family-owned restaurant was closed for most of the summer while they remodeled their new home in the former Pickles location.

Seen immediately through the front door, the seating resembles wooden park benches.

A few steps further and we found a more cozy and comfortable area, table-clothed tables surrounded by cloth-covered chairs. A counter covered with a jumble of glittery Thai knickknacks contributed to the homey atmosphere.

Dusnee greeted us with a wide smile. She's the owner and, the night we were there, was our waitress. Her staff consists of nieces and nephews and other family members. Dusnee's easygoing manner makes you feel right at home, like part of the family.

Many think of Thai cuisine as being just hot and spicy. But it's a lot more than that. It's a delicate balance of spicy, sweet, sour and salty, characterized by curries, coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, native herbs and spices.

At the suggestion of Dusnee, we began with Thai iced tea ($2.95), a mixture of chilled tea and coconut milk, the milk adding a mysterious creamy sweetness to the drink.

For an appetizer, the four of us shared the combination platter ($16.95) consisting of spring rolls, curry puffs, dumplings, chicken satays and tod mun kung. Each was totally different and totally nongreasy.

Tod mun kung is a tasty patty of ground chicken and shrimp mixed with curry paste, fried till crispy.

Spring rolls consist of stir-fried veggies and sprouts, wrapped in super-thin rice paper wrappers and quickly deep-fried.

Satays are skewered and grilled strips of chicken, with a flavorful sweet/salty coating of Thai curry paste and lemon grass.

Curry puffs are minced chicken, potato and onion encased in a very light croissant-like pastry.

Most interesting were the dumplings, soft wonton wrappers stuffed with ground shrimp and chicken, then steamed.

In the center of the platter were four dipping sauces: sweet and sour, peanut, thick and sweet Thai soy (seiu) and fish sauce with cucumber.

Thai hot and sour soup is called tom yum kung ($5.95), a flavorful broth fortified with lemon grass and lime juice, loaded with large shrimp, grape tomatoes and whole straw mushrooms. You get to call your degree of hotness. Medium was a good choice, with a good kick.

Lemon grass is one of the most important flavorings in Thai cooking, an herb with long, thin, gray-green leaves and a scallionlike base.

Wonton soup ($5.95) is a flavorful chicken stock enhanced with cilantro and garlic with large, filled wontons and tops of baby bok choy floating in the flavorful broth.

Now on to the entrées — tasty dishes of meat, seafood, fresh vegetables and herbs with lovely, colorful presentations.

What spaghetti is to Italian cooking, pad thai is to Thai cooking. Pad thai dishes all start with rice noodles, wide noodles resembling linguini.

Seafood pad Thai ($18.95) was delightful, large shrimp, mussels, scallops and squid combined with the rice noodles, beaten egg, ornately cut vegetables and ground peanuts, all bathed in a sweet and spicy tamarind sauce.

Roasted duck and basil ($20.95) is thin slices of roasted duck breast sautéed with garlic, onion and hot peppers in a dark, salty sauce, surrounded by crisp-steamed broccoli. The flavor of Thai basil gave this dish a distinct personality.

What I would call truly jumbo shrimp highlighted shrimp and garlic ($18.95). The very lightly breaded shrimp was gently pan-fried with garlic and black pepper and placed over an assortment of tasty sautéed vegetables. A pool of dark sauce was hiding under the pile of veggies.

"Regulars" at Thailand Thai are treated like royalty. We had a regular at our table, and Dusnee said they would make a special entrée for him, chicken red curry and yellow noodles ($15.95).

Slices of tender, juicy chicken breast were sautéed with carrots, sweet peppers, red onions and scallions in a red curry sauce that had just right kick to it. This was served over soft noodles, with crispy long egg noodles on top adding texture and making for a striking presentation.

The entrées were further enhanced with beautiful hand-cut carrot floral designs (Dusnee's niece creates those) and fresh herb garnishes from their indoor herb garden.

Hot tea, a soothing blend of green and jasmine teas, proved to be a perfect after-dinner digestif.

For dessert, we tried steamed banana leaves ($5.95). You don't eat the leaves; you unfold them, revealing firm, sticky rice encasing a bit of plaintain and a few black beans. A very satisfying not-too-sweet dessert served hot — just unwrap and enjoy.

Fried banana with ice cream ($5.95) has textures and temperatures that play with your palate. In this case, plaintain was wrapped in delicate rice paper and quickly deep-fried, making the wrapper crispy and the banana warm. The cool vanilla ice cream was also deep-fried, a sturdy outer crust encasing the solid ice cream, completing the refreshing dessert.

Dinner for four came to $154. While fans of Asian buffets might deem that expensive, we found the well-prepared dishes with generous portions, served with pride, well worth the cost.

The food is a little less spicy than one might associate with traditional Thai cooking. This is easily adjusted just by asking. We found the dishes a little on the salty side, especially the sauces. If you're watching your salt intake, the kitchen may be able to adjust the saltiness of your meal.

Our evening at Thailand Thai was a very pleasant, relaxed and unhurried dining experience. Our server was friendly and helpful, eager to explain the ingredients from her native land.

This is literally a small, one-family operation. By the end of our delicious meal, we felt like part of the family, too.