Eating in Thailand - the Mango Tree

Okay, I may as well get the greatest disappointment of my almost finished trip out of the way first.

The Mango Tree should have been a great place to have dinner.

It was literally just around the corner from the hotel in Bangkok in Soi Tarntawan, off of Surawong Road.

It is nicely appointed inside, and has a very pleasant outdoor area as well.

If you are sitting outside, they have a small ensemble playing traditional Thai music. Even better considering given that one of the Er Hu players was a rather good looking young man.

But the food was another matter.

I had good memories from dining there some years ago, but I suspect that it is now trading on its reputation.

How you can get things like pad thai, red curry and a garlic and pepper dish wrong in Thailand is simply beyond me (though there will be a later installment on this theme generally, and pad thai in particular).

Suffice to say that my memory of the red curry is not of it being red, but grey. And that sums up how it tasted.

And this from a restaurant that is well known and well regarded, and at the better end of the scale in Bangkok.

Posted via email from Garth's posterous