Jim and I had lunch at Bambu this afternoon. Place was buzzing with hungry clients, the two of us included. Wait staff was great, Jackie was there with water and we had great bottle of local white wine, based on her recommendation (Kriselle Cellars, Sauvignon Blanc 2017, Rogue Valley, Southern Oregon.)
Jim had Opakapaka (Pink Snapper), which is very much a Hawaiian favorite, nice and firm yet flaky. The Chef’s prepared it blackened with a smooth somewhat spicy Mango Sauce, the whole fillet resting on a bed of grilled vegetables. Nice complimentary set of flavor profiles.
I, however, made a huge mistake, not the restaurants fault, this all rests on my shoulders. I ordered Pad Thai, which I have always loved and was very much looking forward to. A business colleague and good friend, John Loether and I always ate at a little Thai restaurant called the Black Orchid (sorry restaurant isn’t there any longer) in Westborough, Massachusetts. Learned to love savory Pad Thai. My Pad Thai served up at Bambu was sweet, sweet, sweet.
I wouldn’t say I’m a picky eater but I have one “hard & fast” rule. I don’t like savory and sweet on my plate at the same time. In fact, I don’t like sweets, eat desserts on a very rare occasion, with one exception, if it’s creamy like Creme Brulee, Mousse, custards, etc. Hey, I’m German, grew up on pudding!
So before I raged at the Chefs on their lack of know-how I took a moment and learned something.
From Wikipedia – Pad Thai is characterized by rich, vibrant flavors, from funky (fish sauce and dried shrimp), to sour (fresh tamarind paste), to sweet (palm sugar). Recipes for Pad Thai vary, but there’s almost always a base of wide rice noodles, a generous sprinkle of crushed peanuts on top, and a lime wedge served alongside. But I did not know there were sweet variations or I would have asked.
So lesson learned, don’t pipe-up until you know what you’re talking about and stop with the whole picky eating thing.
