Where’s that Thai restaurant again?

Friends arrived first and waved us down street-side, otherwise we would have driven right past our destination, the Bangkok Thai Deli.  This delightful little hole in the wall at 315 University Avenue West, Saint Paul MN, is a restaurant that is attached to a small grocery store.  Walking through the store, we made our way to a brightly light room with various sized tables and booths.  The four of us first sat at a booth, but were coaxed to move to a much larger table to handle all the anticipated plates that we were about to order.

A friendly waiter with a great sense of humor took our order and within what seemed like minutes, started bringing out the plates one after the other.  I thought to myself, “Did we really order all this food?  Who ordered all this food?  Oh wait, we did.”

First to come out was an order of piping hot egg rolls stuffed with sliver thread noodles, onions, carrots, cabbage, ground pork and ground chicken $3.  On its heels was the Hoi Jor, a combination of scallops, shrimp and pork, ground and formed into a pillow/fritter, lightly breaded and deep fried $7.

Shortly after the appetizers came the Bangkok Thai fried rice with pineapple and chicken $7, Shrimp Pad-Thai $9 a Green Curry with coconut milk, kaffir lime leaf, green curry paste, eggplant, sweet basil and beef $8 and the Papaya Salad $7.  I’m no wimp when it comes to heat, but wowzer, even the medium heat broke me out in a sweat!  However, me sweating should not come to a surprise of anyone.

After passing around the platters, probably one too many times, we all decided enough was enough and to go boxes were packed up with what would fit.  Before heading out though, Carolyn produced a little box of goodies.  Either the restaurant didn’t mind or we didn’t tell them, but four cupcakes emerged from Sweet Bakeshop.  They were a Tiramisu, Snowball, (i.e., coconut), Triple Chocolate, and Peanut Butter cup each sitting in their own little collar under the lid.  Candles were lit and Happy Birthday was sung, in harmony no less.  Each was somehow divided into threes and fours depending on who wanted to taste which flavor, with the Birthday girl choosing first of course.  Unfortunately, the little cakes were not quite as good tasting as they were good looking.  There are always more flavors though from which to choose at Sweet Bakeshop, 2042 Marshall Avenue, Saint Paul.