Get high on Thai

Swoon at the spicy delights of Restaurant Thailande

by SPANKY HOROWITZ

Thai cuisine is an amalgamation of flavours, a gastronomic mutt influenced largely by China and India, with a little bit of Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia thrown in for good measure. Most dishes are based on rice or noodles and the food is lightly cooked, so it remains fresh and slightly crunchy, with much of its nutritional value intact. Most Thai dishes are flavoured with chillies, garlic, onions, shallots, coconut cream, coriander, soy sauce and mint leaves--refreshing palate pleasers when you are used to eating brisket with roast potatoes and gravy.

Where better to start your Thai food education than a slightly fancy restaurant called Thailande, easily found in Mile-End at the corner of Bernard and St-Urbain. As with many restaurants, I was overwhelmed by the assortment of appetizers available at Thailande and I considered a meal consisting solely of starters. Regretfully opting to pass on the spicy chicken wings, chicken satay, crispy noodles with shrimp, egg rolls, spring rolls, and crab clams wrapped in crab meat, shrimp, pork, celery and onions, I settled for the deep-fried fish cakes and an order of dumplings with peanut sauce, both priced at about $7 each.

The fish cakes were delicious, but at $7 for four tiny discs, they just aren't worth it. The dumplings, on the other hand, were positively a must-eat. The small, delicate, meat-filled dumplings are well-made and accompanied by a peanut sauce which at first disappointed me. It's thinner than I'm used to, but after a second and third bite I realized that the consistency is thinner only because of the much welcome addition of coconut milk and lime juice--a complex and refreshing change to a dish that's very good to begin with.

Most of the house specialities at Thailande are served in a bowl and should be ordered with steamed rice, although some are noodle-based. An example of the latter is the classic Pad Thai ($9)--sautéed flat noodles with shrimps, egg and ground peanuts in a tomato-based sauce. The dish was more tangy than spicy, but this was expected since all of the dishes on the menu are coded with little chillies to indicate their level of spiciness. Each dish on the menu is described and then offered with your choice of tofu ($8), shrimp ($12), beef ($10), chicken ($10) or pork ($9). Some dishes can also be ordered with duck, scallops or squid.

If you really enjoyed the peanut sauce from the dumplings, then you'll love the Pad Praram, which is your choice of tofu, vegetables, beef, chicken or shrimps sautéed with peanut sauce and cashew nuts, served with fried spinach. The spinach is like candy--and it's good for you! Other highlights include the Kaeng Khiao Wan, a green curry dish with coconut milk and basil leaves, and Ped Krob, crispy roasted duck served with a spicy soy sauce.

If you feel a little woozy after all that spice, just fall off your chair and roll over to the corner where you can lean on one of those triangular pillows--wishing that the weather was warmer, and maybe that you had some opium.

Comments? foodspanky@hotmail.com

Restaurant Thailande

Address: 88 Bernard W.

Phone: 271-6733

Hours: lunch Wed-Fri 11:30am- 2pm; dinner daily 5-10:30pm

Best features: quality Thai food in a classy atmosphere, option of sitting on the floor with little opium cushions!

Vegetarian friendly: yes

Wheelchair access: yes

Alcohol: yes

Price: lunch $6-14, dinner $8-30 per person, before drinks, tax or tip

Rating: HHH out of HHHH