Sep 27 2008
Hot Hot Hot
Last night, Hubby and I joined Mahealani and Lucy for dinner at Phuket Thai (pronounced “poo-ket”) at the Mililani Town Center. As a vegetarian, Mahealani was pleased to discover Phuket Thai’s extensive vegetarian offerings on the menu. All of us have a pretty decent tolerance for spicy food, so we decided to order everything “hot.” I was a little concerned, since I didn’t know what to expect. I mean, how spicy is “Thai spicy”? Normally, when dining out at restaurants and “hot” is offered, it barely registers on my taste bud thermometer. However, Thai food is known for setting people’s tongues aflame, so I wondered if I could handle it.
Green Papaya Salad
First out was the green papaya salad. Oh. My. Goodness. The first bite already had my tongue tingling and beads of sweat immediately surfaced on my cheeks. You know it’s spicy when the first bite already evokes a physical reaction. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one feeling the effects. Everyone at the table was reaching for their water glasses to put out the flames.
This worried me. If everything we ordered was that spicy, I would not be eating much - lest I find myself going into labor right there in the restaurant.
To finish my modest serving of salad, I had to empty my water glass. Woo. That bugger pretty much kicked my okole — and for me to admit that, well, it’s got to be hot.
Oyster Sauce Chicken
But then the other dishes started appearing and while they were spicy, they were not nearly as spicy as the green papaya salad. In fact, they were all very tasty, with just the right amount of spiciness to keep things exciting and the water glasses nearly empty. I say “nearly empty,” because the service is good and the servers are very diligent about keeping your glasses full. I guess you have to be at a Thai restaurant.
Sweet and Sour Fish
My favorite of the night was the Sweet and Sour Fish. The little chunks of pineapple and the tender pieces of fish made it a delightful dish.
Thai Fried Rice
The Thai Fried Rice was delicious, too, although I had to eat that in moderation due to my carb-restricted diet. If not for the gestational diabetes, I would have eaten two bowlfuls.
Vegetarian Peanut Curry
And of course, the obligatory peanut curry…
Needless to say, I managed to finish dinner without going into labor. Maybe next time. 
A 30-something Christian girl, blissfully wedded to her perfect match (the yang to her yin) of 14 years. A new mom to her miracle baby, born on October 4, 2008. Living life in Hawaii, less than 5 miles from her hometown, a slave to her mortgage payment, but seeking balance in her pursuit of family, faith, recreation, and rest.
Great entry, it made me smile. I agree, the Papaya salad is usually on the spicier side (even if you don’t order it ‘hot’). Otherwise, I’m glad you all had a great time!
Also, may I suggest: Chapa (sp?) Thai in Pearl City is really good, too.
Wow, the food looks great! It has me craving Thai food, heh.
mmm…everything looks so delicious! We go to Phuket Thai whenever we’re in the neighborhood and have a hankering for good Thai food. I’ll have to try the sweet & sour fish! Another great place for Thai food is Souvaly across the street from Pearl City Zippy’s on Kam Hwy. Everything I’ve tried there is awesome. You’re so brave to order your dishes hot. I need to be splashed with a bucket of water when I order things medium! Baby Champuru seems to have inherited your tolerance for heat! One day she’ll be sitting there with you wiping away little beads of perspiration. My best to you in the days to come.
@ckea: Thanks for the info - next time I know that I should order the green papaya salad “medium” so I don’t singe my taste buds right off the bat! This is only my second experience with Thai food, so I’m not familiar with good restaurants, so thanks for the recommendation! I’ll check out Champa Thai next time we’re in the area!
@Sophia: It’s good stuff! Just make sure there’s ample amounts of water available.
@faithful reader: I haven’t heard of Souvaly, but I’ll put that on my must-try list, too! I didn’t realize that Thai food had a whole different level of “hot” than most other types of cuisine. I might opt for “medium” the next time, just so I can enjoy the food a little more and worry a little less about the after-effects.
i absolutely love thai food. ate it religiously through both pregnancies! green papaya salad is always good. i also love eating green curry, pad thai and a few other foods that i ate when I went to a thai potluck…you’re making me hungry at work!