2.340

18 (Sun) December 2011

Poonim Phat Phong Kari

3.0

at Thai Garden

-Itaewon, Yongsan, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with W and DJ

Poonim Phat Phong Kari is a Thai curry dish.  Deep-fried soft-shell crabs in a thick egg curry.

On our honeymoon in Thailand five years ago, W and I encountered this dish for the first time.  It was the single best experience that I’ve had with Thai food specifically thus far and among the best experiences that I’ve had with food in general.  Inspired, all the curries that I made during the newlywed period – be it Thai, Indian, Japanese – included egg.

On this evening five years later, we were reacquainted with the dish upon a chance visit to Thai Garden, a previously unknown restaurant that had come to our attention thanks to the promotional efforts of our credit card company.  The very offer of soft-shell crab was noteworthy in itself; I’ve never seen soft-shell crab anywhere else in Korea.  And though it was the most expensive item on the menu at 33,000 won, the price was somewhat justified by the inclusion of 4 precious crabs.  The combination of crisp succulent crabs and rich savory curry was excellent, though the curry was a tad bitter.

Everything else was respectably good.

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