This Little Thai Kitchen is slightly larger than its Greenwich sibling, meaning it is still tiny, with seating at ground level on the left side of the entrance and up two steps on the right side. It is pleasing, though, to see such limited space made so bright and sparkly, with a brilliant green lotus-leaf motif painted on glass behind the entrance area and various vibrant colors used throughout.
An unusual, thoughtful touch on the menu are recipes for several Thai curry pastes, each a basis for either yellow, green, red, Massaman or red chili curry. Listing the ingredients also gives diners a better idea of how hot and spicy certain dishes are.
In general, the food at Little Thai Kitchen is well seasoned, but the servers usually ask how guests would like each dish. In the Thai cuisine lexicon, ''mild'' is a relative word, but even when my party of four asked for ''spicy,'' the dishes we were served were not overly incendiary. Here, ''mild'' should please anyone able to handle a modicum of tang.
What endeared this place to me right from the start was the larb salad. One of my favorite Thai dishes, larb is not on all Thai menus; when it is, it is often a lackluster rendering. But this version, freshly made and served warm, was a delicious mix of finely ground, good-quality beef, scallions, mint, red chilies and rice powder, served on a big iceberg lettuce leaf. It did everything an appetizer should, tickling the palate for the main courses ahead.
Everything we ordered, both that evening and at a lunch for four, tasted fresh, and combined a variety of pleasing ingredients. Plar goong -- a shrimp, kaffir lime, scallion and fresh cilantro salad -- was another appealing starter. Two soups -- tom yum (shrimp, straw mushrooms, lemongrass, lime leaves, tomatoes and chilies) and tom kar (coconut base with white-meat chicken, straw mushrooms, galangal, lemongrass and lime) -- were spicy and refreshing at the same time.
The entree curries we ordered (Thai green, Thai Massaman, yellow and Penang) were just as appetizing, though in some cases the saucing could have been more generous. Our prize entree was probably gang ped yang -- spicy duck (meaty and juicy), with coconut, basil, pineapple, red and green peppers and red curry paste. It was saucily hot and mild at the same time. Even pad Thai, that old standby, tasted freshly made, with the customary flat noodles, shrimp, ground peanuts, bean sprouts, and scrambled eggs, all laced with whispers of tamarind and cilantro.
There are few desserts at Little Thai Kitchen, but we enjoyed the delicate Thai custard and the sliced mango with sweet sticky rice. Both provided a soothing exclamation point to a lively dinner.
This new
restaurant
is doing
so much
right so
early, I
expect
to be
making
it a
regular
habit.
Little
Thai
Kitchen
4 West
Avenue
Darien
(203)
662-0038
VERY
GOOD
THE
SPACE --
Tiny,
colorful
and
cheerful;
noisy
even
when
partially
full.
Tables
are
accessible
by
wheelchair,
but the
hallway
leading
to the
restrooms
is
narrow.
THE
CROWD --
Casually
dressed
couples
and
small
groups;
few
children.
Extremely
friendly,
welcoming
service.
THE BAR
Service
bar,
with
limited
wine
list.
Bottles
from $27
to $49,
from
various
countries;
$6 by
the
glass.
Small
beer
list.
THE BILL
-- Lunch
entrees,
$7.50 to
$9.95.
Dinner
entrees,
$12.95
to
$17.95.
WHAT WE
LIKE --
Tom yum
and tom
kar
soups,
larb
salad,
plar
goong
salad;
gang ped
yang,
sambal
chicken,
Thai
green
curry,
Thai
Massaman
curry,
yellow
curry,
Penang
curry,
pad Thai
noodles;
Thai
custard,
mango
and
sticky
rice.
IF YOU
GO --
Lunch,
Monday
through
Friday,
11:30
a.m. to
2:30
p.m.;
Saturday
and
Sunday,
noon to
2:30
p.m..
Dinner,
4 to 10
p.m.
daily.
Free
parking
lot in
the
rear,
off
Mansfield
Avenue.
Reviewed
Oct. 22,
2006
