We trained from SPb to HEL. Eruditely took the Tram6 to our hotel, hoofed it over to S-Market for some champoo, showered/rinsed to cool off, lay on the bed watching CNNI under the fan, drinking till time for dinner . . . As our last night on vacation, we wanted something good, which came down to either Michelin quality Nokka, that we had seen on our walkaround a few days before, or Thai . . . Finnish Thai being an interesting concept we could not quite grok . . .
We opted for the Thai, after briefly considering Nepalese, which had been recommended to us on the tram, particularly the restaurant we saw on the 6-route (too much like Indian, we decided) . . .
The beautiful, shy waitress took our order, and allowed us to order a little extra spice in our dishes . . . We had correctly deduced that Finnish palates are not suited to bona fide Thai . . . 8^) . . . First clue is in the pitcher of water they bring . . . 8^D . . .
I got Tom Kha Kung, for my comparison to Great Thai Restaurants of the world . . . Which is difficult because the prawns make it better than chicken (Gai), automatically, IMVHO, if you see how I mean . . . But soup-wise, it's an easy call . . . Very, very, very good . . . In the same league as the Bird of Amsterdam and Siam Orchid in Prague (and sawadee and Nit Noi in Houston, if they're still there). Mrs' had something new, possibly a house specialty, a tamarind version of the same soup, which caused her to be silent so long I had to ask if she was ok . . . She just waved me off not to interrupt her . . . 8^D . . . Excellent!
Mrs ordered Pad Thai Kung for her main, which it can be seen in the picture is complete, not some half hearted edition, and further, by the deep color, very rich in spice & flavour . . .
I had a chaeng panaeng curry . . . I think they called it . . . I like a richer, redder color, but they did add some extra thai pepper in it for me, so the end result was entirely satisfactory . . . 4 bites into it, I could feel the endorphins racing thru my blood . . . 8^D . . . The prawns are perfectly cooked, the spices perfectly balanced, the broth creamy & savoury . . . Just about perfect . . . I might've prefered some thai basil in there too, but everything doesn't have to be the same all the time, for me . . . If you know what I mean . . .
I should have taken a picture too of the waitresses' dress . . . One was in like an everyday costume, simple and elegant, the other in a more formal shiny silk yellow gown . . . They were both so beautiful it was an adornment to the food, and the pleasant ambience of the restaurant.
Mrs said in reflection "I'm glad we came to Helsinki", meaning this was an unexpected and unforgettable dining experience.
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