My friend Cliff woks a mean Thai dragon sauce.
Cliff and his family also have spent many months, if not years, of their lives visiting Bali and traveling in other Pacific Rim countries. And he and wife Sara excelled in their cooking classes with famed Indonesian-with-a-twist chef Jozseph Schultz (see related story).
So when Cliff called me with high praise for the new Thai Orchid restaurant on Mission Street in Santa Cruz, my ears and salivary glands perked up.
Armed with my expert enthusiasts — Cliff, Sara and their 18-year-old daughter Sasha — we headed for Thai Orchid with our friend, Tom. As in many cultures, an important aspect of Thai dining is the social concept of literally sharing a meal; more diners mean more variety to sample and enjoy.
Thai Orchid blooms, like its lovely namesake, seemingly out of nothing: on a busy street next to a motel. In fact, just turn in through the Mission Inn's archway and you'll find that rarest of Santa Cruz treasures, abundant parking. (The motel and restaurant share a property owner and a large parking lot.)
Inside, a saltwater aquarium with polychromatic fish fronts a small bar seating area. The high-ceilinged restaurant's d3cor is tasteful Thai, bas-relief teak carvings and golden Buddha furnishings chosen and imported by chef/owner Eed Kanlayani and partner Alan Mertens. Kanlayani, like all of her staff, is Thai. Her 30-year cooking background includes Bangkok restaurant experience and she was the chef for the site's former restaurant, Sa-Tarng.
Live orchids bloomed all about the room; our table glowed with blood-red Peruvian lilies. Seated in a small alcove with a view of the outside patio area, we enjoyed tall glasses of popsicle-orange Thai iced tea ($1.50) and delicious coconut juice ($1.95) while devising our meal.
We began with Muntod, deep fried sweet potatoes in coconut batter ($5.50). This generous appetizer's crisp patties with soft potato filling offered plenty for our party of five to share. It seemed a bit rich to proceed a full meal, but the subtle taste was sinfully delicious.
Sara was delighted to find Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum, $6.50) on the menu and it arrived looking like a little performance. Pale green papaya strips set off by brilliant bits of red pepper reclined on a bed of iceberg lettuce, surrounded by miniature bandshells of whole lettuce leaves cupping paper-thin carrot curls. Brava!
We felt even more like applauding upon tasting the delicate papaya's unique dressing, which managed to be sweet, salty, sour and also mildly spicy, with a funky but pleasing undertaste of something. "Fish sauce," declared Cliff, explaining that the distinctive seasoning has a unique gift of flavoring.
Now came a real test, the Tom Kha coconut milk soup (large order, $7.95). This silky, deceptively simple soup is actually quite complex, employing an impressive array of ingredients to produce every taste from sweet to bitter. )
Most Thai restaurants make good Tom Kha, but Thai Orchid's is exquisite, succulent and fragrant (one of their secrets is fresh mint). I refrained from licking my bowl out of respect for Tuk, our graceful waitress.
An integral part of our experience, Tuk was dressed in beautiful Thai silk clothing of vivid colors shot with gold thread, and moved swiftly around the table like an efficient and bright-sheened hummingbird.
Entrees arrived in swift, artistic succession. Sasha and Cliff had eaten here once before and were eager to replay the Roasted Duck Curry (Kang Ped Yang, $7.95). The aromatic golden sauce brimmed with large chunks of duck, tomato and pineapple. A strikingly flavorful dish, its richness comes in part from the inclusion of d! uck fat and skin – some of which may be found, somewhat surprisingly, in the broth.
Tom and I were unnerved by the Rad Nah entr3e's not-so-tempting description of “Gravy Rice Noodles,” but our experts were right again. Wide ribbons of thin, tender rice noodles, prawns and fresh vegetables shimmered in a delicately exciting black bean and black pepper sauce. Sara, who had eaten this ! dish many times, pronounced it excellent.
Thai Orchid specializes in seafood and offers 15 standard seafood entr3es, plus weekly specials. I asked for a mild version of the Pad Talay (Spicy Seafood, $11.95) with fish substituted for the calamari. The resulting mix of succulent scallops, prawns and swordfish boasted a gently spiced sauce that impeccably accented both the seafood and the dish's exactingly-cooked vegetables.
I found the Moo Yang, or grilled marinated pork ($7.50), our least interesting entr3e, perhaps eclipsed somewhat by the other superlative dishes. Although the meat seemed slightly dry, its vinegary dipping sauce demonstrated yet another awe-inspiring combination of flavors.
We only had room for a bite of dessert, so ! all five of us split one serving of Sweet Sticky Rice with Ripe Mango ($3.95; seasonal). Here was the unexpected delight of the evening. A little igloo of warm rice, drizzled with sweetened coconut milk and punctuated with black sesame seeds, crouched cozily behind a cool fan of fresh mango slices. Although satiated, we ate every sliver of mango and every grain of sweet rice.
The concerted opinion of our group? First-class and extremely reasonable, Thai Orchid is one of our new favorites. Sasha, who at 18 probably has sampled more Asian cuisine than half of Santa Cruz, said simply, “This food is right on target. You can quote me.”
The experts have spoken.
You can read the original Sentinel review here.