A Review: Bangkok Thai and Japanese Restaurant, in Liverpool NY
My new favorite Thai joint
My husband and I have been married for almost 10 years, and he was the one to introduce me to Asian cuisine. (My mother is allergic to shellfish and pork, so the type of food we ingested today would never have been on the dining room table.) However, my husband spent 10 years living in Hawaii, and it greatly shaped his palette, and he was eager to divulge his carefully honed tastes to me when we started dating. Prior to dating him, I had eagerly stuffed my face at Chinese buffets, and that was about the extent of my exposure.
Bangkok Thai and Japanese Restaurant came on our radar when I directed the car into the shopping plaza that held it, intent on rifling through the Thrifty Shopper that occupied the same plaza. It was kismet, as we knew when we left the house that morning that we wanted some type of delicious Asian cuisine for lunch. This place definitely fit that bill.
Inside, the decor is the most darling 80s chic. There’s something so comforting about that shade of pink, mixed with the shiny faux silver elements. I’m going to guess it was once a nail salon.
The menu is cute with carefully crafted pictures, and they recently added in a Japanese option for sushi and sashimi (that’s the insert peeking out).
I decided on the Singapore noodles, with ‘medium’ spiciness, while my husband went for the Yum Yum soup, with a ‘hot’ level of spiciness (one step below ‘Thai spicy’). My husband has quite a heat tolerance, but even he is cautious when it comes to Thai spicy. It was only a short wait before our food arrived and my, weren’t the dishes wonderfully colorful. The plating did not disappoint:
Underneath the mound of perfectly seasoned vegetables and pork, there was a mound of perhaps the thinnest rice noodles I’ve ever laid my eyes on, or had the pleasure of slurping into my mouth. I take great pleasure in the crispness of the miniature corns, and the bits of green onion help round the salty, sweetness of the conflagration. The bamboo shoots were perfect, with just a hint of the funkiness they are known for. I always taste a bit of barnyard in bamboo shoots, and while some places have funkier shoots that can be rather off putting, these had just a hint of it which I appreciated it. The pork was tender and full of rich flavor.
My husband chose beef as his protein for his Yum Yum Soup, and it always looks like the epitome of a refreshing summer salad. (I didn’t sample it, as I am not a fan of the sour-spicy flavor combination, and I despise large amount of cilantro.) His only critique was that it wasn’t as spicy as he was expecting. Both of us added in the chili sauce that they offered, which had a nice tinge of sweetness along with the spiciness. The vegetables were crispy, herbs fresh and flavorful, and the sauce had the perfect balance of lime, lemon grass and galangal. The beef had small pieces of peanuts sprinkled on it, and was the right level of chewy tenderness.
They do have a dessert menu, which we did not partake in (we rarely have dessert when we eat out, preferring to drink our calories later in the night.) And while the prices don’t reflect the 80s like their decor does, they are fair, and match the value of the food. We left Bangkok Thai and Japanese Restaurant deliciously full, with the spicy, salty, tangy flavors rolling around our mouths. If you’re in the Liverpool, NY area, I highly recommend you stop in for a delicious lunch or dinner.