Bangkok Thai - Portland, Maine

The number of votes for Bangkok Thai in my recent poll intrigued me enough that I finally made a visit, something my West End friends had been encouraging me to do for quite some time.

The dimly lit Bangkok Thai restaurant was filled with college-age students on the night we dined. Located at 671 Congress Street, it is next to King of the Roll, and across from the about-to-open Evangeline. That location can be tough for parking, fortunately Bangkok Thai has secured spots for patrons in the lot behind Joe's Smokeshop.

We started with Fresh Spring Rolls, rice wrappers filled with less-than-fresh ingredients: shrimp, vegetables and rice noodles. The rolls were served with a Hoisin sauce, which was overpowering; I would have preferred a chili or sweet and sour sauce.

Vegetarian Thai dumplings were slightly better than those down the street at Pom's, mostly because they didn't have the freezer burn issue. Asian chives were wrapped in a thick, doughy wrapper, pan fried and served with a soy ginger sauce. We sent most of this dish back to the kitchen untouched, as the whole concoction was gluey in texture and tasteless in flavor.

The Tom Yum (Hot & Sour) Soup with Shrimp was filled with crisp onions, mushrooms and scallions. While I enjoyed the soup, my husband prefers Sala Thai's version. The Tom Ka Soup was not spicy as described on the menu, but rather comprised of watered down coconut milk, lemongrass, shrimp, mushrooms, scallion and onions. Uninteresting, it was not to either of our liking.

We ordered our Pad Thai with Shrimp and Tofu, though we also discovered a few stray chunks of chicken in the noodle dish. It was too oily for my taste -- although the taste of the oil didn't resemble that of the normal fish oil associated with the preparation of Pad Thai. The noodles were overcooked and starchy, and although we ordered it "medium" spiced, it seemed to lack any spice at all.

The Jungle Curry consisted of cubes of tofu, zucchini, green beans, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, baby corn, bell pepper and whole basil leaves set in a bland curry broth, which was void of flavor, and certainly didn't taste like curry.

The Gewürztraminer I ordered was tropical, light and fruity; it paired perfectly with the Thai food, though the waitress did not offer a second glass when I had finished the first. Our waitress was pleasant, however when she asked if we were enjoying our meal, and received the answer "no" from my husband, instead of asking what could be improved, she simply shrugged her shoulders and went to get our check - a far cry from Pom's reaction when my husband discussed the issues with the curry at her restaurant. Every restaurant can have an "off night" - or create a dish that is sub par, what sets them apart is how they react to criticism and what they do to rectify the situation. Pom has that down. So does the Chef Jonathan Cartwright.

Unlike my husband who lived in Thailand for several years, I've only had Thai food in the U.S. We both agree that Bangkok Thai's cuisine is some the most mediocre we've experienced - only a notch above fast food. The only pleasant surprise of the evening was the tab, $45 before tip.