Tucked away on the outskirts of Maadi lies a hidden jewel of Thai cuisine whose flavors bring back memories of the beautiful and chaotic capital.

 

Bangkok Thai Restaurant and Cafe, owned and operated by Sarah Cob, offers an uncomplicated array of hand-crafted southern Thailand specialties. The menu covers all the delicious Thai food groups you know and love. The savory appetizers include spring rolls, crispy meats, and several Chinese style cross-overs like beef dumplings and fish balls. Tom yum soup is a specialty and contains hard-to-find authentic ingredients like kaffir lime leaf and galangal root. There is a wide range of salads from papaya to Thai chicken, and the main dishes include a wonderful assortment of noodles, curries, fried rice, and stir-fries. The head chef and owner, Sarah, is committed to providing only the freshest ingredients when creating her dishes.

 

The restaurant interior is clean, simple, and elegant, made for hosting small to medium-sized parties in a quiet, intimate setting. People don’t come here for fancy interior design; they come for the rich, fragrant food. The fried wontons were crunchy and enhanced by their dipping sauce. We were surprised by the presence of beef dumplings, and Sarah told us that she was trying new dishes to appeal to a broader range of palettes. They were delicate, sumptuous and melted in your mouth. She also brought us steamed buns stuffed with an intense beef barbeque filling with a distinct taste of allspice. The Thai chicken salad that followed had such a lovely zing of lime/chili dressing that I couldn’t forget that taste in my mouth all night.

 

Following our appetizers, there was a steady stream of tantalizing Thai goodness that came quickly from the kitchen. The green curry was well seasoned and flavorful with local Thai basil. Sarah said that she grows many of the herbs she uses on a nearby farm. Some are also grown on the doorstep of the restaurant itself! The pad see-ew noodles crumbled but were well seasoned with a savory sauce. The ginger-mushroom stir fry had perfectly cooked vegetables swimming in a dark gingery marinade. For dessert, we had a delightful pink iced concoction with sweet potato and homemade tapioca balls. It was like nothing we had ever seen.

 

Bangkok restaurant and cafe is a welcome complement to the fantastic Asian food scene in Maadi. Sarah’s love of sharing her country’s dishes and commitment to quality ingredients is evident in all the entrees she presents. The prices are very reasonable for the quality of food served. We wished our appetites had allowed us to try more dishes, and therefore we will return to explore the other interesting offerings such as the tom yum soup and papaya salad (which was out of season). Warm, welcoming chefs like Sarah make dining in Maadi a charming culinary adventure.