Valentine's Feast #1 -- Kittichai

Last year's V-Day,
goh goh and i made reservations at
WHITE CASTLE... 0_o

HAA!
Not because of their food,
but that it was funny enough,
to mock the rave about spending mucho $$$,
celebrating a 'holiday' we don't believe in.

However, due to the snow storm & the car failing on us,
we couldn't even go through with this silly plan.

This year, however, we turned around and decided:
Hey, why not make this yet another reason
(read: excuse) for us to enjoy some good food?!

Considering that goh goh & i:
A) love sharing Thai food together
B) never miss the Iron Chef show on sundays;

We're bound to come to come here,
after watching that amazing episode:
www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ia/
episode/0,1976,FOOD_16696_47931,00.html

Taaaaa DAAAAAAAA! : D

KITTICHAI RESTAURANT

This restaurant is quite busy,
hence the required reservation beforehand.
Yay for goh goh ; ) who took care of that.

The design of the restaurant is very artistic & classy,
while the atmosphere is romantic & comforting : )

Here, take a look:



A sense of Modern Thai --the theme of the restaurant's
cuisine -- is richly conveyed in the decorations.

Hanging Orchids + Floating Candles = WOW!!!

Goh goh: "Are you done taking pictures yet?
Can we please look at the menu now?"

What's a girl to do,
when so many amazing choices are presented? : (

Appetizer:
Seabass Tempura with Sweet-Chili Tamarind Sauce

Verdict: How in the world can the seabass bites
be SO JUICY?!?!?! 0_o

After the appetizer, i was admiring the design
of their glasses: It's in a rounded square shape,
with a slight dip on each side, very well
fitted for the customer's fingers : )

I admire their detail-oriented design,
even down to one single water glass!

At the sight of the utensils presented to us,
i got all giggly and exclaimed,
"Goh goh, LOOK! These look exactly the same
as the ones we used in Bali!" **huge grin**

awww... such lovely memories : )))

Here comes our entree!

Goh goh's pick:
Wok-seared Tiger Prawns
with Garlic Pepper sauce and green beans

My pick:
Pineapple Braised Short Ribs in Green Curry,
Thai Eggplant and Sweet Basil

Side (A given): Jasmine Rice

Verdicts:
- Prawns were FRESH & HUGE!
Crunchy and flavorful ; )

But we've had better sauce before...

- The Short Ribs were so AMAZING *_*
We were speechless after the first bite,
and had to pause to let the tenderness of the pork,
the fragrance of the coconut milk,

the tartness of the pineapple,
the smooth texture of the curry... sink in.

i deliberately ate really really slow,
and drank very little water,
in order to savor every bite as long as possible *0*

However, we didn't order enough,
given the small portions of the dishes : /

Hence the Random Pick:
Baked Chilean Sea Bass marinated in
yellow salted beans with morning glory.

What's yellow salted beans?

What's morning glory?

NO IDEA.
But we ordered it anyway! : D

Goh goh said, "Let's hope that this dish is
even more amazing than the Short Ribs!"

Verdict?

Haha... goh goh said we must show the world
how fat we are, for we cleaned all the plates : b

The Sea bass, just like the appetizer,
is THICK + JUICY + SMOOTH : 0

The glaze on the fish is mildly sweet,
giving off a faint resemblance to a miso glaze.

Morning Glory turns out to be Water Spinach's
other (prettier) name : )
& somehow, the garlicky veggies complement
the fish PERFECTLY.

It was dish-licking good *0*
& i consider it a (high) tie to the Short Ribs : )

In HEi's book, meals are not complete without desserts!

But... i wanted to try so many of them 0_o
What to do?????

These days, i feel like goh goh's been spoiling me,
esp. when it comes to food.

& here he said, "Go ahead. Order an extra.
You know you want to." : )

Taaa Daaa! ; )

My pick #1: Coconut Crepes with Kalamanci Sauce

Verdict:
I was expecting coconut inside the crepes,
but it turns out to be a ball of REALLY SMOOTH
& MILKY coconut ice cream ; )

The crepes were not filled, but were thoroughly
soaked up in the citrus syrup,
topped with sweet tangerine slices & glazed orange zest.
Loved it, but was below my really high expectations : b

Goh goh's pick: Jasmine Flan on a Sweet and Sour
Fruit Salad with Jasmine Rice Ice Cream

Verdict:
The flan was OUTSTANDING.
I've never tasted anything quite like it.

The petite beauty was infused with
the unique flavor of jasmine,
& it complements the jasmine rice ice cream
like a match made in heaven! *0*

The fruit salad was top quality also ; )

My pick #2: Thai Tea Ice Cream Sundae
with Palm Seeds and Coconut Jelly

Verdict:

The chef's creativity was overflowing in this dish!

All homemade ice-cream:
Thai Iced Tea -- Silky texture,
every bite filled with the aroma of traditional thai black tea
Creamy Coconut -- as mentioned above ; )

Thai Iced Coffee -- Crushed coffee beans infused;

So glad this wasn't smooth like the others,
for the difference in texture makes a sharp contrast ; )

What's even better?

Top them all off with Chocolate + Caramel Sauce +
crushed almond caramel bits!

i was eating so slow at one point,
that goh goh had to coax me into speeding up,
before all the ice cream melted : b

The only disappointment in this dish:
the coconut jelly sat in the banana-like flavored syrup
too long : ( & the jackfruit tasted like banana, too.

(yes, i don't like bananas...
so i'm making personal preferential criticisms.)

All in all, i couldn't have been happier with this meal!

Quoting Goh goh,
"This is one of the best meals I've ever had!"

FYI:

Kittichai Restaurant

Address: 60 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012

Reservations: 212 219 2000

Website: kittichairestaurant.com

p.s. Don't you want to go there with me again,
to try the family/ tasting menu?! : DDDD