Reykjavík Grapevine - 08.04.2011, Side 22

R E V I E W S
Thai Me Up! Thai Me Down!
Thai Take-away explored
Time for another one of my own
miniature weekend film festivals. No,
not a weekend of Pedro Almodóvar
films, nor their naughty Thai remakes
(imagine that). I am sure this pun of
a title has been used ad nauseam (I
fret to search the interwebs), and so I
apologise for my (mis)use. With my
date and I still juggling a newborn,
we spend another weekend indoors
with an assortment of Thai new wave
cinema accompanied with some tasty
Thai takeaway.
I have a love affair with Thai
cuisine, with its versatility to please
different palettes, harmony of f lavours,
and presentation and arrangement of
colour. Appropriately nestled alongside
of one of Reykjavík’s most colourful
rows of buildings, Ban Thai resides
like a carefully cultivated orchid, where
it has blossomed into a landmark
over its twenty years serving the most
delectable of authentic Thai dishes.
Despite the economy, Ban Thai has
had the same menu and prices since the
day that they opened. This alone has
kept me a regular patron. But, word on
the street was that Ban Thai has a new
menu. We surfed over to their website,
which has also remained unchanged
for twenty years, only to discover the
same museum of animated gifs leftover
from the Geocities era. Too occupied to
walk over to Hlemmur for a new menu,
we just ordered some proven standards.
Everything at Ban Thai is fresh
and made to order, so arriving twenty
minutes after placing our order should
give me some time to look over the
new menu. Holy Basil, Ban-Man! The
menu matured from a simple page into
a book, complete with beneficial health
facts and nutritional values for every
dish. There are chapters of new dishes.
This is going to keep me busy for quite
awhile...drool.
Overwhelmed with new smells and
now trounced by my hasty decision, I
headed home with my old pal’s squid
and shrimp. Their company was
pleasantly delightful, despite being
takeaway. Opening the box revealed a
colour palette ranging from blazing
alizarin crimson to bright viridian
green. I had ordered Pad kraphao, a
traditional dish of tender squid stir
fried with Thai holy basil, spring
onions, chillies, and garlic. As expected,
fresh squid, al dente vegetables, basil
forward with a mild capsaicin finish.
A phenomenal dish for a modest 1.690
ISK.
We could not wait to sample some
of the new dishes, and just yesterday
headed back for another round. We
placed our order, and sat down to
continue reading the menu. To our
surprise, we were served. I looked
down at the sleeping baby in my arms,
glanced over at my date, and decided to
enjoy our first meal out with baby. The
soothing environment was calming for
both us and a newborn baby. While she
slept, our feelings of being tied down to
takeaway were lifted. We indulged!
“Holy Basil, Ban Man!”
Ban Thai
Laugavegur 130
MADELEINE T
HVALREKI
GRAPEVINE FOOD REVIEW KEY
0 Not fit for human consumption
Edible
Indifferent
Good
Pretty damn good
Exceptional
Noodle soup with chicken IKR 930
IKR 930 Noodle soup with beef
Home of the best noodle soup!
Skólavörðustígur 21A
A genuine Nordic 3 course feast
starting from 4.900,-
Pósthússtræti 11 101 Reykjavík Tel: 578 2008 www.silfur.is
One of the best restaurants in Iceland
Tel.: 511 5090
E-mail: einarben@einarben.is
Website: www.einarben.is
Order now!