Seattle's Typhoon! whips up top-notch Thai food

Back in 1995, Bo Lohasawat Kline's Portland bistro, Typhoon, blew me away while broadening my Thai food-loving horizons. That happened again when I reviewed its new sibling in Redmond's Bella Bottega Center in 1999. So why have I been so slow to review Typhoon! Seattle — one of six proudly punctuated Typhoon! restaurants in Washington and Oregon, doing business near Pike Place Market for the past six years?

Forgive me Thai food fans, for I have sinned. I've failed to send you running for the classic dishes and imaginative interpretations that beautifully bridge the gap between Thailand and the Northwest. Mea gulpa.

Those top-notch treats include a light and luxurious lemongrass clam chowder, sold by the cup ($3.95), though you'll want a bowl of this aromatherapeutic aria sung in the key of "Gee!" And ahi larb, a tuna-rific take on the traditional Thai chicken salad, its crisp Romaine spears serving as crunchy vehicles for mouthfuls of ruby-red tuna that glistens with a marinade of lime juice, lemongrass and chiles ($10.95).

Panko-fried Pine Cone Fish ($22.95) offers a thick fillet of fresh halibut. Scored and magically shaped into its coniferous cousin, its crunchy skin is hidden inside a "cone" whose meaty morsels will remind you of the best fish 'n' chips you've never eaten. And if fried fish doesn't light up your life, try the Fish on Fire — gently cooked halibut in a coconut-infused curry set ablaze with high-proof rum. (Order an extra bowl of jasmine rice: You won't want to miss a drop of that sauce.)

If you've been around long enough, you probably know Seattle's Typhoon! as the site of the original Wild Ginger — now doing business at Third and Union. Remember the original satay bar — that big, bustling, grill-centered hangout with the counter seats? Gone! It's been replaced by a secondary dining area set with long, linen-draped tables. And unless you've come with 40 of your closest friends, you won't want to sit there: It has all the appeal of a fancy cafeteria.

Better to settle into one of the burnished-wood booths that — like the towering stalks of dried bamboo near the entranceway — bifurcate this expansive room, making the restaurant appear cozier than it is. Or relax at tables set along the storefront windows that look out onto foot-traffic.

You might even head straight for the bar's tall communal table and choose from a slate of delicious, vibrant-colored cocktails, a long list of inexpensive, Asian-food-friendly wines or one of the 100 loose-leaf teas served in pretty cast-iron teapots.

Turn to the menu and you'll soon see that Kline's recipes take Thai food to a level rarely matched at standard Thai joints, where the predominant flavors are too often muddied by a heavy hand with sugar, coconut milk, cilantro and peanut sauce.

Case in point: the King's Curry. Described as "seriously spicy down-home funky," it gets that fragrant funkiness from dried shrimp and fish sauce blended with red curry paste, lemongrass and palm sugar to create a memorable mix of dry-fried beef (or the protein of your choice) and fresh green beans. Drunken Noodles present a heat-packing helping of meat and wide rice noodles, one that's also offered up in a milder version. Tinged red like a drunk's nose, those soft chewy noodles are wokked till their edges caramelize, the flavor punched up with a blast of Thai basil and fresh lemongrass.

Fun finger foods prevail among the appetizers, and if you can't decide, the Nibbles Platter ($14.95) is a shareable smorgasbord of snacks culled from that list. These include fried goodies like "Bags of Gold" tied with seaweed laces and fried greaties like vegetarian spring rolls and kra-thong tong — flaky rice-pastry cups filled with shrimp, chicken and veggies.

Even more fun — and packing a serious flavor-wallop — is miang kum. Your server will explain the drill: Take a fresh spinach leaf from the pile on the platter and, using it as a cup, grab a pinch of this or that (toasted coconut, peanuts, dried shrimp and a micro-dice of fresh ginger, lime, shallots and spicy bird chiles), add a dollop of sweet sauce and pop the bundle in your mouth.

Typhoon does a brisk business at lunch, and folks are clearly hip to its takeout charms day or night. Lunch offerings skew a bit lower, fancy fishes skew considerably higher. Summer brings lots of tourist traffic, but it also brings summer specials like Dungeness crab phad Thai and a spicy "3-in-1 Salad Sampler" — a chance to try the excellent beef salad, green papaya salad and chicken larb, all-in-one. Be sure to end your meal with ripe fresh mango and sweet sticky rice.

And the next time someone asks, "Where can I get great Thai food in Seattle?" tell them the answer is blowing in the wind.

Sample Menu

Miang kum $9.95

Tom yum goong $5.95/$9.95

3-in-1 salad sampler $12.95

Drunken noodles with beef (dinner) $11.95

Eggplant lover with tofu (lunch) $7.95

Fish on Fire $19.95

Mango sticky rice $5.95

Share your news or restaurant tips with Nancy Leson: 206-464-8838 or nleson@seattletimes.com.

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