Bangkok Cuisine

In a word: The city don't know what the city is getting.

The specs: #0423
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Decider, 77 Square, Isthmus, .

JM ate the pepper steak with a lemonade.
Nichole ate the larp with tom yum soup and a Thai iced coffee.
We split the crab rangoon.
The bill was about $30, or $15/person, plus tip.
JM and Nichole both gave Bangkok Cuisine an A- (see our grading rubric).

One of the hazards of the make-up list is that we'll get scooped by other reviewers, so stop us if you've heard the one about the Detroit transplant into the former site of Mekong. It ends well.

It began with the customary crab rangoon, here lightly fried pinwheels filled with tiny dollops of buttery crab mixture - passable, but not super.

The tom yum soup was such a good deal we almost sent it to 3 Buck Bites. The gingery, piquant broth was instantly warming, and generous chunks of white meat chicken were in nearly every spoonful. The soup was rounded out with fresh tomatoes, mushrooms and onions that were nearly raw, they were so lightly cooked.

JM's pepper steak had good flavor, and was not overcooked. He found the whole meal to be a fantastic ensemble outing with a lot of care put in to the dish. Of the gravy, he enjoyed/wished there was more of it. The peppers were not too peppery and the flavor of the steak really complemented the dish. 

The larp, at 3.2 stars, was finally as hot as advertised. It truly is special when you can find a place that doesn't shy from heat, and yet can carry off a dish with depth of flavor, and this larp is it. The only downside was that the meat was chopped so fine as to come across rather dry, with an almost dusty texture. The portion was generous, however, and it was also nice to see they took care to add long green beans and squash to both garnish and balance the plate.

The Thai iced coffee lacked a strong coffee flavor, but its creaminess was welcome between bites of spicy larp.

While dining, a couple came in who looked a little too nattily dressed for an average Madison restaurant. It turned out they had come from out of town for reservations at Bandung two doors down, which is so close to Bangkok Cuisine in the alphabet as to be almost absurd. Yet Madison's lucky to have them both.  

Comments

[Kyle]

I thought that sign was different. That whole area is a blind spot for me, between Wah Kee and the old candy company building (Eldorado).

[Eating The World]

Had to stop by and give kudos for the "One Night in Bangkok" reference.

[Jasmine]

Just came from dinner at Bangkok Cuisine. It is now my favorite new restaurant. I recommend the Pad Thai and the Pad Thai Curry. The spring rolls are amazing and not to be missed. I give it an A! Please give this place a try.

[Jane]

Sooo yummy! I love the crab rangoon very lightly fried. the papaya salad, adventerous but spicy the way i like it. will be going again for the tom yum soup! highly recommend.