Bangkok Royal Thai Restaurant, Duluth, MN

10/16/10 - Editing to add Bangkok Royal restaurant has regretably gone out of business.  If you want Thai food in Duluth, I strongly recommened Thai Kratong in Canal Park (S. Lake Ave). 

It was a dark and stormy day. The rain was coming down in cold sheets of stinging pellets and the clouds hung heavy in the sky. So when the lunch invite came across e-mail, there was no hesitation in saying YES! And the negotiations began...

We agreed to try the new Thai restaurant: Bangkok Royal. Not certain it was even open, we knew we could walk across the parking lot for Bridgeman’s Friday fish fry as a backup. We knew it was in the location of the former Saigon Café back behind Bridgeman’s in the Village Mall -for those of you from the area.

The interior has had a facelift and a bit of a renovation. The decor is simple: white linens, simple pictures from Thailand, long drapes in the windows, with one end of the room elevated to accommodate floor tables and cushions. Overall appearance was one of elegance. Did we make a mistake in coming for lunch?

We were given a single sheet of heavy stock paper for the lunch menu and the waitress explained that with our lunch order we would get either one fried spring roll or one fresh spring roll and we were left to figure out the menu. At first glance my apprehension grew - I knew what Phad Thai was (and it has peanut butter and peanuts in it), but it took explaining from the waitress to figure out the rest. Ahh! Not so difficult after all - for example, “With Ginger” explains the base of the dish, and you can then choose between chicken, pork, or beef.

I picked Phad Cee Eow (“pad cee oo”) with chicken - wide rice noodles stir fried with vegetables in a dark soy bean sauce. My dining companion chose “with basil - chicken”: stir fried with house roasted chili sauce, vegetables, bamboo shoots and topped with basil. Beverages were one coffee and one tea.

The spring rolls came first - piping hot, lightly fried with a tangy sauce on the side. The main dishes were delicious. The Phad Cee Eow was flavorful and saucy, perfect “comfort food” for a rainy day. The Basil Chicken was bright and crisp - the vegetables being yellow peppers, thinly sliced sweet potatoes, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts (I think....). The chicken in both dishes was thinly sliced white meat and cooked to perfection. Even with sharing dishes, there was enough to take home for lunches.

Lunch prices ranged from $9.95 to about $13.95. I grabbed a menu to take with and dinner prices start at $13.95. Would I go again? Yes.

After I got back to the office, I told another co-worker about Bangkok Royal, and it sounded like he was going to try it out later that evening. I will have to get his thoughts.