Try this Thai

It’s easy to miss the Asian-style door beside a futon shop that leads to a trendy Thai restaurant in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill section.

So if Thai food is on your mind, take a minute to and pop into one of the upscale gift shops on Forbes Avenue and ask for directions to Bangkok Balcony.

Rated number one for Thai cuisine in two Pittsburgh newspaper readers’ poll, the restaurant is worthy of a visit. That said, I have never allowed newspaper polls to steer me to a restaurant because I usually suspect that the winners won because their dishwashers had the most friends who sent in ballots. But Thai food is enough to get me to the door.

At the top of a steep, narrow flight of stairs to Bangkok Balcony, beside a second door, is a sign, “Open this door, we open our hearts, for each fragrant mouthful has just one chance to keep its promise. The Nareekomai family.”

The flavor of Thai food, its fragrant blend of spicy, sweet, sour, mint and lime, is what sets it apart from other Asian dishes. And this restaurant’s owners, Norraset and Eileen Nareekomai, have been known to deliver on their promise of great food. They also own a second Thai restaurant around the corner on Murray Avenue, The Silk Elephant, which is my favorite place to eat in this city.

Last weekend, I was more impressed by the couple’s efforts to bring Thai food to the Burgh than the entrée during my first trip to Bangkok Balcony at 5846 Forbes Ave. The small bowl of Thai stew in a sesame broth contained vegetables that were a bit limp and shrimp that was somewhat tough from overcooking. The appetizer, crab Rangoon blended with cream cheese, was perfectly delicious. The bill, at $28, seemed a bit pricey.

Thai cuisine brewed right

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The delicate blend of flavors that gives Thai food its appeal can be found in the country’s most-popular brand of beer.
Singha
is a barley malt that has the right amount of cinnamon, flower and lemon additives that have helped to crown it the No. 1 beer of Thailand. It’s a product of Boon Rawd Brewery of Bangkok and brought to the United States by the Paleewong Trading Co. It’s a great compliment to Thai cuisine wherever it is served, especially in Pittsburgh, which seems to have more Asian restaurants per capita than any other city in the United States.

Tapas, or small plates of food, continue to draw me to the Silk Elephant in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill district. On my last stop there, I had Tom Kah, a delicious coconut broth with shrimp, mushrooms and peppers, and roasted leg of lamb swimming in green curry sauce with steamed vegetables.



Thai food has a perfect balance of aromatic ingredients that are spicy, sweet, salty, bitter and sour, my server said while offering her reasons for loving the food.
“You taste it and think, ‘Oh. What is that?’” she said. Often it’s the fresh, rather than dried, basil and lime leaf that give the food its distinctive character, she added.
The Silk Elephant is casual and intimate yet classy with its high-back, upholstered chairs and silk draperies. The servers are young and hip. The soup, which came with three large shrimp, cost $4.65, while the lamb had a price of $7.95. The bottle of Singha was well worth $5.50.

The restaurant is located at 1712 Murray Ave. For information call 412-421-8801.