My husband and I went to a Thai restaurant after climbing few days ago. We haven’t gone out eating for a while since we both are decent at cooking. Honestly I’ve been just disappointed about the food here. It’s usually overpriced, and the quality is meh.
This place is quite nice and the leather-cover menu uses the paper with texture. The price of the food is higher than average so I have higher expectation. I grew up in Asia and had been to Thailand several times. Therefore I’ve hold higher standard for Asian food. After browsing through menu hundred times, I decided to have Panang curry. My husband got some appetizers to share.
The photo I took long time ago when I was in South East Asia.
When the food came out, it displays nicely. The flavor is traditional but the presentation has a more modern fashion. When my curry came out, it’s in a coconut. There’s a glass next to it. I asked what’s inside of the glass. The waiter says it’s the coconut water coming out from that coconut.
I’m surprised. I didn’t expect that.
I was really happy they used a fresh coconut that has great coconut water and tasty coconut meat. It reminds me that I used to drink all the coconut water when I bought a coconut from a street vendor in Thailand, and brought it back to the vendor asking them to chop it half for me. So I could eat the meat. It reminds my husband that how much coconut water he drank when he was living in Hawaii.
It is such a simple thing that makes me happy.
They honestly don’t need to put curry into a coconut. I’m pretty sure it’s still delicious. But I think it’s a little extra thing that makes people feel connected - connected to a place, a period of time, a piece of memory. Maybe that was not their intention. But that makes me feel this place put thoughts into people’s experience.