Bhan Kanom Thai

posted by jonathan liljeblad
Name: Bhan Kanom Thai
Location: 5271 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. 90027
Food: Thai, but just dessert
Service: Pleasant
Ambience: Just take out, with seating sacrificed for delicacies
Price: Cheap ($3-6 per dessert pack)

Most Westerners are oblivious to Thai desserts. Tell them about Thai food, and the first image in their head is usually of pad thai or pad kee ew or chicken satay or papaya salad. The idea of Thai dessert is a completely alien concept.

Which is actually a bit odd, considering that Thailand has a rich array of sweets in their culture, and accord it a dedicated place in their national cuisine. In some tourism circles, it's even promoted as one of the primary experiences for tourists--you can get a basic orientation at sites like Bangkok.com, Thaiways Magazine, Phuket Magazine, and Enjoy Thai Food. Thai desserts, called khanom in the Thai language, can be traced in the historical record to at least the Sukhothai period (1238-1350), and are known to have become popular during the Ayutthaya period (1350-1767). The creative explosion in Thai desserts are popularly attributed to a woman named Marie Guimar Phaulkon, who was a mixed-race (Portuguese, Japanese, and Bengali) wife of First Minister Constantine Phaulkon during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and introduced the ingredients of her heritage (particularly eggs and sugar) to expand the creativity available in formulating Thai dessert recipes.

To be fair, there are major reasons why authentic desserts are frequently left off the menu or ignored by most Thai restaurants: it's highly perishable, and it can be difficult to make. Much of the desserts require fresh ingredients, which when combined quickly lose their unique textures and flavors whether left on the counter or placed in the fridge. Personally I've noticed that they tend to lose their original qualities within a day, maybe less if it's warm or humid. This brief window of culinary enjoyability makes it difficult to justify the hours of preparation time, which frequently involve multiple ingredients layered in complex sequences with careful details in delicate chemistry.

Which is unfortunate, because Thai desserts, if fresh, and done well, are heaven.

They can be sweet, but not overly so. They can be filling, but not overly so. They can be heavy, but can also be light. They can be rich, but also simple. They can be overwhelming, but also subtle. There are desserts that are like bread, or cookies, or cakes, or pies. There are creams, gelatins, custards, tortes, dumplings, steamed, baked, or fried. There is fruity, there is sugary, there is syrupy, there is crunchy, there is chewy, there is smooth, there is melt-in-your-mouth and linger like the daydream of a tropical beach on a lazy warm day.
One of the better places in Los Angeles to view the diversity of Thai desserts is Bhan Kanom Thai. Located in Thai Town near the Thai Plaza, it's dedicated solely to Thai desserts. So much so, in fact, that you'll find yourself hard-pressed to make your way into the store and through the aisles to even see the selection--and when you do, chances are you'll have to make your way through the logjam of locals who know what they want and are trying to make a quick stop and the visitors who have no clue and are trying to figure out what they're looking at, let alone how to buy.

Most of the items in Bhan Kanom Thai are sold in lots, with an order being a packet of 4-6 individual bite-sized items. Most Westerners won't be able to tell what's in them--there's no way to identify the ingredients from the appearance or from the labels; you'll have to make do asking the staff behind the counter (assuming things are not too busy).

Not to fear. Pretty much everything is good. And as long as you remember it's dessert, and are happy that dessert is supposed to be some type and texture and flavor of sweet, you won't go wrong.

Ruen Pair

posted by jonathan liljeblad
Name: Reun Pair
Location: 5257 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. 90027
Food: Thai, on the more authentic side
Service: Pleasant
Ambience: Ample, friendly, casual
Price: Moderate ($10-20 per person)

Arguably the most central figure in modern Thai society is the King. Known as Bhumibol Adulyadej Rama IX, His Majesty (hereinafter HM) looms large politically, culturally, and socially, holding a status that most Westerners would see as exceeding veneration and rising to near-deity. You'll see his picture or likeness placed liberally in Thai establishments, and his reign spoken of in reverent tones.

It's usually understood among Thais that no one--not even clueless Westerners--should speak negatively about the King, or do anything that might be deemed disrespectful. There's stories of foreigners in Thailand who've been prosecuted under criminal law for defacing images of HM (reference: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/12/thailand).

While this level of veneration may seem odd to Westerners coming from societies devoid of royal traditions (i.e., the United States), it doesn't seem so odd when you learn a little bit more abou thim. The Thai King is a rather remarkable individual. A cursory review of his Wikipedia entry (reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhumibol_Adulyadej) will show that he is not only well-educated, well-respected, and well-known for his humanitarian efforts, but also is an accomplished jazz musician (he once played with Benny Goodman), a world-class sailor (he won a gold medal in the 1967 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games), and skilled engineer (he actually holds a patent). In addition, he is rather singular in having overseen Thailand's transition to democracy during the 1990s, and has remained committed to it during the country's course in the years since. In this light, it's apparent that the reverence of the Thai people for their King is with justification, and comparable to the same affection held by the British for Queen Elizabeth.

You'll see this adoration for HM in every Thai restaurant. At least, you will if it's authentic--if it doesn't, then it's a clear sign it's aimed at a cross-over audience, and a pretty big hint that the place is trying to lure Westerners. This isn't a bad thing...unless you are looking for authentic Thai food, of the kind frequented by Thai locals and accepted as the genuine article by Thai expatriates.

Fortunately for Los Angeles, the latter kind of restaurant is common in Thai Town. You can't go a block without running into an establishment reflecting "real" (i.e., "non-Westernized") cuisine. You know what this means: signs and menus primarily in Thai, waiters and cooks with barely legible English, food that you can't identify but that you find is to absolutely die for. The trick is to find a "real" place that's actually "good" (i.e., wherever the locals go, but never tell clueless Westerners).

Ruen Pair falls into the latter camp. Situated in a plaza across from the more popular Thai Patio, it has a decidedly non-descript exterior with very muted signage. But don't let this fool you. While the busier, flashier Thai Patio is heavily frequented by non-Thais, the less-busy, but still thriving, Ruen Pair is the place where the locals go...and never tell clueless Westerners.

The food at Ruen Pair is good. Not the classic spicy artillery assault typically associated with Thai cuisine, but definitely very much among the better exemplars of what Thai food is all about. There is spicy food, but the focus here is on taste. Particularly taste in a non-assuming, casual, matter-of-fact manner that is geared for people who just want their Thai-palates satiated.

The ambiance matches the food. It's not fancy. But it's tasteful. Good enough to bring a guest, but not so fancy that it'll require bringing out the bling bling wardrobe to impress them. As befits a genuine Thai establishment, the menus are primarily in Thai, with requisite English subtitles. There are no pictures, so you'll have to make do trying to translate the items with the staff, who are decidedly helpful in a supremely courteous kind of way. And of course, there's all the images of HM that you could ever possibly want, with even one frame holding images from his childhood, adolescence, youth, middle age, and current status.

The better items on the menu, surprisingly, may not be the food. The drinks are, if the limit is held to 2 words, unique and good. Dry the longan tea. Ditto the hibiscus flower tea (yes, that's right, hibiscus flower). Amazing. Especially on a blazing hot day.

And of course, sample the menu. If you can't figure anything out, and can't understand what the waiter is saying, just close your eyes and pick something. You can't go wrong.