Encore (continued)
My personal favorite goes to the dumplings, as the sampler was steaming
hot and filled with a variety of beef, shrimp and wasabi. Plus, it included
a rice ball stuffed with mushrooms and other goodies, wrapped in a banana
leaf, which I could have eaten all day long. John-John, one of our ambitious
sales reps, loved the fried rice paper-filled Cha Gio. Stuffed with ground
chicken, carrot, bean thread, onion and mushroom, the bite-sized rolls were
served with nuoc cham dipping sauce that we of course dept so we could dip
our main courses in it too. The chicken satay, served with a delectable
peanut sauce, provides a warm, hearty treat as well.
While onlookers may suspect we hadn’t eaten for days from our sheer indulgence in the appetizers, the truth of the matter was, we had all been looking forward to our lunch bunch at Indochine for weeks. The anticipation was too great not to jump right in with every ounce of our energy energy that was fueled by more wonderful food.
Our
entrees arrived so nicely presented, we almost felt a pang of resistance
toward digging in it passed after one whiff of the fragrant spices. Ginney,
encore’s newest staff addition, decided on a bowl of hearty Tom Kha Gai,
a coconut blend with chicken, mushrooms, cilantro, galanga, bamboo shoots
and kaffir lime leaves, and a California roll (yes, Indochine has sushi,
too, for you sushi lovers). The rolls were huge and the soup a perfect combination
of creamy and steamy.
Emily-the-Assitant-Editor went with a staple at most Thai dinner tables: Pad Thai. The large noodles were doused in a delightful, mild sauce, per Emily’s request, and tossed with chicken and veggies. She filled her plate once and had leftovers for dinner and lunch the next day (word to the wise: share with others when you go!).