58006 Mon Jan 19 19:00:47 -0800 2004 5 2 Los Angeles Area 0 303379 Trekked to the new Thai Nakorn in GG yesterday for lunch. Spacious and clean restaurant, flat screen TV mounted on one of the walls and smaller screens placed strategically for tables without a clear line of sight to the larger TV. Large square windows and bright lighting gave this new dig a nice sparkle. The tables are set farther apart than the Buena Park branch and the decorations are less "woody". We ordered the following dishes: 1. Pad Thai with Shrimp. Every bit as saucy and delectable as the Buena Park version. Fresh bean sprouts and a small mound of sugar and pepper flakes came on the side, as usual. I do notice that the portion is a little bit bigger than the usual serving at BP. 2. Pork Fried Rice. A little on the dry side, but the pork morsels were tender and tasty. The rice grains were a bit loose. I prefer having a more moist dish of fried. 3. Chinese Watergrass with Bean Sauce. Crispy, fresh, and good -- very good actually, but lacked the smoky note and the "umph" from the salted soy beans that the BP location seemed to always get right. 4. Thai BBQ Beef. Awesome tender slices of marinated steak, grilled just right. The accompanying sauce was sour, hot, smoky and savory (with lots of red pepper flakes swimming in it). Perfect. A hit at our table. 5. Deep Fried Fish with Mango Salad. This was the most expensive dish at $15.95, but was the best thing we ordered. The fish, butterflied without the head had a golden brown crispy, salty outer coating and moist firm and flaky white flesh. The skin was an especially tasty compliment when eaten with steamed white rice. The mango salad condiment had fine slices of red thai chili (gutted of the lethal seeds, of course), red onion, mango, cilantro and dried shrimp. My mouth waters as I think of all the hot, sour, salty, and sweet flavors this dish brings to your mouth. Perfect! 6. Tom Kha Kai Soup. This was a flawless rendition. Essentially a carbon copy of the dish served at BP. The hotness of thai chilis and the sourness of the soup was balanced perfectly by the richness of coconut milk. Kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass give this soup an ethereal aroma and flavor. The chicken and button mushroom pieces swimming in it were tender and juicy. 7. Desserts. Choosing from the glass display case, we sampled several of their offerings. a. Thai cookies - these rolled up thin wafer-like flutes were crispy and sweet, with a hint of a coconut and nutty flavor. b. Fried Banana - this was banana, wrapped in what seemed to be green-colored shredded coconut which was then deep fried. It was a bit of a disappointment, largely because it didn't come straight from the fryer and tasted a little stale. c. Coconut Custard - egg custard cooked in a whole coconut shell. A bit ambitious, but not as successful as I would have liked. The custard was a bit dry, but still very rich. I can't wait to go back! 12532 Garden Grove Blvd Garden Grove, CA Mon Jan 19 19:00:47 -0800 2004 0 elmomonster 1 303381 Thanks for the thorough review. My parents are OC dwellers and big fans of the BP location. They will be happy to know that there is a locale closer to them in Little Saigon. Also, if you are a fan of Korean food, there is some good grub to be had in that general area. "Inchon Won" is a great Korean BBQ joint, with coal grills versus gas (not for the smoke sensitive!), located around GG Blvd and Trask, I think. Also, a very good Korean sundubu (tofu hot pot) joint is in the same general area. If you're interested, I could dig up more exact location info from the folks. Cheers. Mon Jan 19 19:18:44 -0800 2004 303379 0 Eric Archer 2 303382 Yes! Please share! I love Korean BBQ and I'm getting tired of Seoul Garden in Tustin. Mon Jan 19 19:20:46 -0800 2004 303381 0 elmomonster 2 303384 Also, you might want to post in a new thread so that others looking for Korean BBQ in the area can search for it more easily. Thanks again in advance! Mon Jan 19 19:23:14 -0800 2004 303381 0 elmomonster 1 303725 I have to say that the opening of this branch of Thai Nakorn was one of the best bits of food-related news all year! I'd been to the Buena Park original several times before, and while it wasn't all that far away from home for me, there wasn't much other reason for me to be in BP. The GG branch, on the other hand, is right along the route I take to and from work every day, so you can imagine how stoked I was to see that sign go up one day. Nearly drove off the road! Actually, I just went there for lunch today -- a plate of tod mun, nicely spongy and non-greasy, and my customary order of Thai sausage, crisp-skinned and full of juice (and lovely fat!). How's their wild boar curry? Thu Jan 22 03:23:04 -0800 2004 303379 0 Mark Lee 2 303738 I haven't had their wild boar curry yet, at either location. I'm also curious to hear about it. Thu Jan 22 10:58:42 -0800 2004 303725 0 elmomonster