Hot Dish Review

I love Thai food. And I like it Thai hot. Really. Yes, I am a blond American chick but I can eat hot fuckin’ food, don’t patronize me with half-ass spicy, that just pisses me off. I heard Spoon was the real deal, not dumbed-down for Americans. So I took my friend/roommate/neighbor LG for her birthday.

The chef Aim (surely short for something as there are no three letter words or names in Thailand) Suteeluxnaporn and her sister Sujaree own Spoon, the original location on Marietta Street and the new one on Moreland just past Little 5 Points.

The space is modern with dim lighting and partially exposed gray stone that made it feel like a cozy neighborhood joint. Walls are decorated with original art that the sisters picked up in their travels to Thailand.

I wanted to try everything on the menu from the curries to the stir-fries. Basil rolls? I’ve eaten them everywhere and have had them prepared by Vietnamese family of friends, so authentic is what I know and like. I usually get a spicy basil seafood dish at other Thai restaurants like Mali, but really wanted to sample some curries.

On my first visit LG and I tried the basil rolls which were surprisingly vegetarian….no pork, no shrimp. In fact, they were skinny little things with extra thick skin, carrot, basil and not much else. The sauce, however, was spicy, topped with crunchy ground peanuts. We also had the tofu corn cakes. Two thick cakes were served with a sweet and spicy sauce. Topped with fresh cilantro, the cakes were so fluffy and light, really unusual and delicious. LG had the house salad which I found entirely unremarkable.

We started with a riesling and a cold unfiltered sake (nigori). LG ordered the mildly spiced massamun curry with chicken and I tried the roasted duck in red curry. I ordered it hot but not Thai hot, however, I didn’t think there was much spice in it. The sauce was very tasty, as was the massamun, just not spicy. My duck was crispy and tender, dark and gamey. The dish was complimented with lychees.

Most Asian restaurants do not have good desserts. Spoon certainly surpasses everyone in this department. Blueberry chocolate spring rolls are served with coconut ice cream. I’ve heard the chocolate caramel mousse is fantastic but we opted for the mango sticky rice with a pumpkin mousse and green tea ice cream. I love the texture of sticky rice, miss it from the days in NY when it was delivered in a ball of Saran Wrap along with the chicken soup. Really sticky, you can eat it better with chopsticks!

Green tea and azuki ice creams are among my favorite flavors, and it was a great compliment to the sticky rice, as was the delicately sweet pumpkin mousse. We were stuffed!

I’m really looking forward to trying some of their other Thai standards like the beef salad, panang curry with shrimp and the spicy basil stir fry….maybe for lunch next week. I’ll update on subsequent dishes!

Eastside, 749 Moreland Ave 404-624-4713
Westside, 768 marietta St. 404-522-5655
www.spoonatlanta.com