THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 16, 1995 TAG: 9507180448
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Restaurant review
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: POWELLS POINT LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
MY FIRST exposure to Thai cuisine took place in a three-table restaurant located in the rear of a convenience store along an Anchorage, Alaska, strip mall. I left feeling so warm and good inside that I barely noticed the temperature was about 40 degrees below zero.
A recent trip to the Thai Cuisine Restaurant took place in a similarly strange venue, albeit a more temperate one. But, like that first visit, this one proved that such places can yield pleasant surprises.
Even if you've never heard of the 4-month-old eatery on U.S. 158 in Currituck County, it's hard not to notice the place with its barnlike orange-and-yellow exterior and large picnic area.
The outside may still look like the former North River Restaurant, but once you step inside it's a different story. Eighteen tables of different sizes stretch over two dining areas with fans, framed prints and potted plants accenting white walls.
In the evenings, fluorescent lights beam through pinkish orange casings, creating a warm glow as patrons sip imported brews at the bar or sample the daily buffet.
Hints that Thai Cuisine also caters to non-Asian tastes come from neon American beer signs and the Top 40 music piped into the dining areas.
Although the restaurant is new to the Currituck area, its owners are not. Thailand emigres Mel and Vilailuk Hammock have lived here since around 1980. Vilailuk served as a pastry chef at The Sanderling Inn in Duck for nine years.
The couple first considered opening up a place on the Outer Banks. Then their friends in Currituck County asked them to consider the mainland.
``So far it's been not too bad for us,'' Mel said.
Our food during a recent lunch was not too bad, either. In fact, it was downright delicious.
I unknowingly selected the mild version of a restaurant favorite, Pai Thai ($7.95). The dish includes sauteed strands of rice noodles entangled with shrimp, egg, large scallions, ground peanuts and yellow bean cake.
Adding an optional scoop of plump white rice from the communal rice bowl, the entree more than satisfied my hunger without leaving me worrying about heartburn.
One of my co-workers tried out Mog go lan Beef ($7.95), with a sweetly seasoned sauce generously coating sauteed beef, spring onions and bamboo shoots. Steamed rice ensured none of the excess sauce would go to waste.
Another colleague, with a transcontinental palate, decided on a curried shrimp-and-Oriental-vegetable dish for about the same price as our other two entrees. The Thai curry solution was so abundant that the dish was served in a soup bowl.
The self-described testy old curmudgeon who has eaten in ``many Oriental countries'' rated his shrimp and vegetable combination quite highly. The word ``delicious'' appeared in his sentences with regular frequency.
I happened to take notice of the American food being served at a neighboring table. The french fries were stacked as high as the triple-decker club sandwiches.
We capped our repast with three selections from the dessert menu, all made and served by Vilailuk.
My cheesecake, drizzled with chocolate sauce, was served with a large reservoir of raspberry sauce on the side and garnished with a sliced strawberry. For someone who had just confessed to being way too full to finish, I suddenly found room to consume the entire confection.
The other two in our party opted for a scrumptous peanut butter pie ($1.99) and equally savory chocolate mousse cake ($3.25). Both also were decorated with chocolate sauce and served with whipped cream.
As we left, we all agreed that Thai Cuisine was a place to be remembered - and not just because of its unusual building. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Vilailuk Hammock, who has opened Thai Cuisine Restaurant at Powells
Point with her husband Mel, was a pastry chef at The Sanderling Inn
in Duck for nine years.
Graphic
THAI CUISINE RESTAURANT
Where: U.S. 158 in Powells Point, just south of Grandy in
Currituck County
Hours: Breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m.; lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3
p.m. and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. (open until 10 on Friday through
Sunday)
Payment: VISA, MasterCard and local personal checks
Drinks: Besides the standard nonalcoholic beverages (tea, sodas,
etc.), there is a large selection of domestic and imported beers, as
well as an extensive wine list.
Meals: Appetizers are between $3.95 and $5.95. Entrees range from
$5.95 to $13.95 for roasted duck.
Reservations: Accepted for dinner. The place also caters for
special events.
by CNB