Other than at the celebrated Lotus of Siam, which makes a conscious effort to bring obscure, authentic Thai dishes to the hungry masses, getting a Thai restaurant to cook for you the way they would for themselves is at best a dodgy proposition in this town. A case in point: Panna Thai Restaurant, a winsome place on the city’s southwest side.
The restaurant is housed in a new mall called Pine Plaza that is home to Wrap House Grill and a hip-looking sushi bar, and there’s no denying that Panna, whose name refers to a group of villages on Thailand’s northern borders, has a lot going for it.
For one thing, it’s a handsome space decorated with sprays of silk flowers that could pass for real, and a relaxing, pastel color scheme that’s been nicely thought out. Seating is on long banquettes; the walls are a cooling shade of brown.
Wicker chandeliers hang from the high ceiling, punctuating a huge room filled with gilded Thai sculptures. Even a trip to the restroom here inspires confidence. These could be the cleanest bathrooms in town.
Thing is, the sanitized aesthetic often translates to the food, which, I concede, is a definite plus for many. The flavors in Panna’s dishes are clean and bright, but some of them are Americanized to the point of non-recognition.
Thai barbecued chicken, for instance, is coated in a sticky red barbecue sauce, as opposed to the blackened yellow spice crust you’d get in an authentic Thai restaurant such as Chao Praya in Los Angeles. And Papaya Salad, or som tam, as it is known in Thailand, is a cleaned-up version of the well-known street dish, in this case with less funk than the national anthem as played by Kenny G.
Having said that, much of what you will eat here is delicious, and the servers try hard to please. When I objected to the American-tasting sauce on my Thai barbecued chicken, for example, the manager insisted on taking it off my check, even though I told her it was not necessary. The kitchen even sent us a dessert order of fried bananas, by way of apology.
I’d like to elaborate on this som tam. The dish is basically shredded raw green papaya, in a dressing best described as vinaigrette that bites back. The dish can come with either cooked shrimp, salted raw crab or both, mingling with the papaya, plus crushed peanuts, sliced tomato and, almost always, raw cabbage.
This version uses a lighter version of the dressing, shrimp and, most importantly, no cabbage. The idea is to scoop up pieces of the papaya and eat them in the hollow of a cabbage leaf, taco-style. Don’t expect to win much street cred eating this dish here.
One thing that did impress me was the appetizer Golden Cup, or gra thong tong in Thai. This dish isn’t served in many Vegas Thai restaurants, and Panna makes the best one I’ve ever tasted. Picture a flaky pastry cup about an inch across, filled with coarsely chopped chicken fragrant with peas, carrots and light curry spice. I defy you to eat just one.
Thai Jerky is also delicious here, although the restaurant uses pork instead of the more usual—and inevitably tougher—strips of beef. Panna also substitutes the more Americanized shrimp for fish in the house shrimp cake, called tod mun when made with fish. These are basically fried discs of pounded shrimp meat, a golden color and quite tasty, with a sticky red dipping sauce served on the side. (If you want prik nam pla, the incendiary fish sauce with diced green chili, you’ll have to request it.)
Not that they won’t fire up the heat for you. The server will ask you how hot you want a dish, a curry for instance, on a scale of one to 10. If you answer 10, beware. I’d say an eight would be most people’s limit. The usual-suspect curries are all in residence: yellow, made with yellow curry paste and lots of coconut milk; the more complex green, which is made with Thai eggplant and bamboo shoots; and the mysterious Panang curry. Name the meat, beef, shrimp, chicken or pork, with tofu available for vegetarians.
One dish I’d rush back for is the Basil Noodle, really kee mao, a mouth-watering rice noodle that is stir-fried with egg, your choice of meat and lots of Thai basil. Naturally, a version of pad Thai is offered here, and though I didn’t try it, I’m told it, too, is excellent.
Crab fried rice is slightly higher in price than the other rice dishes, at $12.25. But laced with real crabmeat, eggs, tomatoes and onions, it is definitely worth it. Incidentally, there are options here when it comes to rice. You can ask for brown rice, or glutinous rice, aka sticky rice, which Thais almost always eat with barbecued chicken and som tam.
I’ll probably head to Chao Praya in Hollywood for that meal, though.
Panna Thai Restaurant
6015 S. Fort Apache Rd., 823-2348. Daily 11 am-10 pm. Suggested dishes: Golden Cup, $6.95; Basil Noodle, $7.50-$9.50 (depending on which meat is chosen); green curry, $8.75-$11.75; crab fried rice, $12.25.