Bangkok Bistro in Burlington, Vermont

When you have a craving, just go with it.

On my recent trip to Vermont, I stayed the night in Burlington, a city I have visited often in the past. One of the main thoroughfares for pedestrian traffic is Church Street, where you will find a plethora of shops, restaurants and bars. While meandering down the street, I was stopping in some of the various shops, considering where to eat. What type of cuisine did I crave? What most called to my hunger?

Bangkok Bistro. Thai cuisine beckoned to me and I heeded its call. It is a small restaurant, though with a patio and bar. It was fairly busy, though it was also a Saturday night, but we were able to get a table. I first perused the drink menus and was surprised, and very pleased, to see that they carried a good selection of Saké, and fairly reasonably priced.

Unfortunately, they did not have my first two selections in stock. I ended up with the Taisetsu Junmai Ginjo ($15/300ml), which is aged in an igloo-like ice dome, and the Shirakabegura Tukunetsu Junmai ($15/300ml), an old favorite. They brought individual containers to keep both of them chilled, which was a very nice touch.

Besides Thai, they also have a lengthy sushi menu, from nigiri to maki. I tried their Sweet Potato Roll ($4), which was very nicely presented, and tasted very good too. Plus, that is a very reasonable price for such.

An intriguing appetizer was the Pad Thai Gyoza ($7.50), fried gyoza but with the flavors of Pad Thai, as well as bean sprouts and peanuts. The flavors enhanced the gyoza, which was fried well, with a nice crunch to them. There were plenty of gyoza in the dish and once again, I thought it was reasonably priced.

The Chicken & Rice Bowl ($12.95) was a good, but not impressive dish. It tasted fine, the veggies were crisp and fresh, but there was nothig exciting about the dish. Just a simple dish, executed well.

I ordered the Chicken Massaman Curry ($16.95), which is one of the dishes I often order at a Thai restaurant to see how it measures up to other similar restaurants. This Massaman stood up well to the others, with plenty of tender chicken and a delectable spicy curry sauce with a dominant coconut flavor. Not all Massaman dishes are spicy, but I do enjoy when they are. I eagerly devoured this dish, making sure to pour some of the sauce atop my white rice. It definitely will be added to my list of top Massaman Curry dishes.

Service was excellent, and I found the food tasty and reasonably priced. It was also very nice to see they carry some good Saké. This certainly satisfied my craving and would recommend it to others as well.

Bangkok Bistro
144 Church St
Burlington, VT
Phone: (802) 951-5888