The Discreet Diner
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Wouldn't it be nice to go to a restaurant and be greeted as if they had been waiting for your arrival? They would seat you with a smile, and while the hostess handed you your menu, a waiter would fill your water glass.
That is precisely the welcome the Discreet Diner and friends received when we visited Thai Taste, a Thai fusion restaurant in Marlton.
Thai Taste has been open eight months. New owners bought the place next door to a well-known Chinese restaurant.
After the warm welcome, we settled in with great expectations. You see, our visit came after the recommendation of a reader, Carol Marshall: "My husband and I love Thai (and other Asian) foods, and have even traveled to Thailand. This restaurant . . . has some of the best Thai food in the area, and better than the previous owner's (in our opinion). Their green curry and red curry are extremely authentic (and spicy, which we enjoy). But they also offer a variety of other non-spicy selections, including shrimp, duck, sea bass, and even wild boar."
We started with Thai spring rolls ($6) and crabmeat pancake ($8). There were five rolls of sauteed carrots, glass noodles and cabbage, deep-fried and lined up on the prettily decorated plate. They were served with a peach sauce for dipping. The rolls, though fried, were not greasy and were quite flavorful on their own. The peach sauce added good sweetness.
The crab preparation was different, a cross between a crabcake and a pancake. It was crabmeat; taro, a starchy staple from South Asia; mustard; and scallions blended and formed into a pancake and fried. It was served with diced and marinated mango, green apple, tomato and red onion on top, and peach sauce on the side. It took a bite or two for me to embrace the patty's consistency, but the flavors mixed well and I really liked the topping.
I have two favorite Thai entrees: green curry and pad thai. We ordered both, and the third in our party tried something different: grilled shrimp.
The green curry with chicken ($10) was a bowl of curry with coconut milk, string bean, eggplant, fresh chili, Kaffir lime leaf, bamboo shoots, red bell pepper, Thai basil, and long hot pepper. It was delicious. A little spicy, it was good coconut flavor mixed with the lime and peppers. I loved the texture of the vegetables, and the chicken was thin pieces of white meat. A bowl of white rice accompanied it and helped to temper the heat.
Pad thai with shrimp ($12) was better than expected. Rice noodles were stir-fried with egg, scallions, bean curd, shrimp and bean sprouts, and topped with ground peanuts. The fish sauce was smooth, and the juice of a lime slice completed the taste. Pad thai can be heavy, but this version was light and flavorful.
The grilled jumbo shrimp platter ($19) was the prettiest presentation. Sticky rice steamed in coconut milk was served wrapped in a banana leaf, and grilled vegetables surrounded the seven large shrimp striped by the grill. Two sauces for dipping accompanied the shellfish: a green cilantro soy bean, or edamame, sauce and a red spicy chili sauce. We couldn't decide which sauce was spicier, but I preferred the green because of the slightly chunky texture.
If this had been the end of the meal, we all would have been satisfied.
As luck would have it, though, the dessert menu was filled with favorites. Carol Marshall had recommended the chocolate Grand Marnier souffle with pistachio ice cream ($7), which has to be ordered with your entree. Since the liqueur is poured on top, I had already decided to skip this one. Instead, we settled on creme brulee ($6), the DD's favorite; fried ice cream ($6); and strawberry shortcake with raspberry sauce ($6).
There is nothing better than a good dessert and coffee to top off a fine meal. The creme brulee did just that. It was served in a star-shaped dish and had strong vanilla flavor, creamy smooth texture, and just the right crunch when breaking through the surface.
The strawberry shortcake was the real thing. The strawberries were in a sugary sauce and the whole thing was topped with whipped cream.
And, although the creme came in a star-shaped dish, the fried ice cream earned the spotlight. It came to the table as a flaming ball, and when the flame died, the hard shell gave way to rich vanilla ice cream.
Thai Taste is owned by friends and family who had worked in North Jersey before buying into this Marlton spot, replacing another Thai eatery. It is an addition worth welcoming to the neighborhood.
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
June 10, 2007
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