Bangkok Chef

Housed in what looks to be a converted garage, Bangkok Chef, is a spot that is unknown to many.  It's located on Nuuanu Avenue, in a row of shops right alongside a small strip mall.  Parking is a bit of a problem here, especially since you're parking in three tightly compacted spaces on the section of real estate that's known as a sidewalk. 

Tipped off by a co-worker about 6-months ago, I finally had the chance to visit Bangkok Chef for myself.  When I pulled up to the shop, it seemed to me like serving Thai food was not part of the original plan as evidenced by the sign announcing that this was the Nuuanu Open Market.

Once inside, on the left side of the shop, you'll find a few produce items, as well as a some spice mixes and canned goods, and a refrigerated case filled with beverages and dairy items.  At the far end of the shop, you'll notice the counter where the orders for the food are taken and payment is made.

When I stopped by on a recent weekend, there were a number of customers inside the cool airy space enjoying their mid-afternoon meals.  After looking over the menu, and learning that they were sold out of sticky rice, I decided to order the pad thai (US$4.75).

According to the menu, the pad thai noodles were stir fried with a house special sauce and contained egg, chicken and tofu.  Once the frying was done, the dish was topped with a handful of bean sprouts, some sections of green onion and a light dusting of crushed peanuts.  The noodles were quite mildly flavored, which made them refreshing to eat.  The texture of the noodles was different too, they were chewy rather than "tender" -- almost cooked al dente if you will.

For dessert, I had the tapioca pudding (US$1.25).

Served warm, tender tapioca pearls were swimming in lots of coconut milk that had been sweetened with palm sugar.  I found this dessert to be just a little too sweet for me, but it was perfectly portioned.  Maybe I should have enjoyed this with some coffee.

On a subsequent visit, I had intended to try the green curry, but unfortunately, they were again sold out of sticky rice.  Instead, I decided to try the basil chicken with jasmine rice (US$4.75).

Tender slices of chicken were stir fried with fresh basil, bamboo shoots and cut red chillies, then seasoned with oyster sauce.  Served in a styrofoam container with half a plateful of jasmine rice, made this one huge meal.  And while I found this dish to be thoughtfully prepared, I think they could either cut down on the fish sauce, or the oyster sauce -- it was much too salty for me.

Since I had the tapioca last time, I decided to try the one remaining dessert item on the menu, the gluay buad chee (US$1.50).

Served warm, this dessert consisted of apple-banana chunks simmered in coconut milk sweetened with palm sugar.  The bananas had remained firm and had just enough bite to them for me to enjoy this.  Unlike the tapioca dessert, the sweetened coconut milk helped to balance out the flavors of the tart bananas.

Bangkok Chef seems to be quite a popular weekend lunch spot.  On both occasions, when I visited at lunchtime, there seemed to be a steady stream of customers flowing in and out of the restaurant.  With great service, great prices and decent food, who wouldn't want to eat here.

Bangkok Chef
1626 Nuuanu Avenue
Telephone:  808.585.8839

Comments

[Kathy]

That's my favorite place for a quick lunch back home!(and it's conveniently located near Lilha Bakery...)It's a great deal for the quality and quantity of food you get - I usually go for the green curry.

[Lajja]

Aloha Reid!
Can't wait to read your post on my favorite Thai place. I almost always get their Tod Mun (fried fish cakes). Jasmine rice never tasted so good!

[MBS]

this looks great! Can't wait for the commentary...

[OsloFoodie]

I am just so into that sago porridge. The pad thai looks good too but does it come with chilli? Welcome back Reid, hope you'll get your internet connection sorted out.

[keiko]

Welcome back Reid - this place looks fantastic, everything looks so yummy. I'm glad you are a tapioca lover too :)

The picture of the beach is absolutely beautiful...

[joo]

That place is the best! My fav is the fried noodle with pork and my bf loves the penang curry.

[Reid]

Hi Kathy,

Long time no hear! I'm sorry I haven't been around to your blog lately, I sure have some catching up to do.

That said, I only recently visited this place after hearing about it almost 6 months ago. *sigh*

Hi Lajja,

Wow! It's been a really long time. Thanks for commenting again!

I haven't tried the fish cakes yet, but will do so, along with the green curry next time.

Hi MBS,

The food here was OK this time, but on a subsequent visit, I found it to be a little better. I feel that it can be good, but a little inconsistent.

Hi OsloFoodie,

The desserts were great because they were served warm.

The pad thai with chicken was eaten with lots of chilli! Mmmm.

BTW..thanks for asking. The connection is better now.

Hi Keiko,

Thank you! I love tapioca and I feel that Thai tapioca desserts are some of the best. This was no exception.

Hi Joo,

Welcome to my blog.

Thanks so much for the recommendations. I'm going to have to eat my way through the menu now. *sigh*

Not that I mind, of course. =)

Hope to hear from you again.

[renee]

hi reid! =) our family LOVES bangkok chef (their # is programmed into my cell! =D) --- & you are right - they were originally just a produce market. then they decided to serve some food & that end took off like crazy. if you haven't tried their vegetarian spring rolls, they are ono! & it comes with fresh veggies too... occasionally, they have a dessert of banana with sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf & steamed. my thai aunt used to make that when i was a kid - natsukashii... i actually thought b.c.'s green curry was a little scary - it's tasty, but the color is a little too green for me. i love the green curry at thai mixed plate (pearl highlands food court - above sam's club)... & if anyone ever goes to kichijoji in japan, you have to go to jai thai for their lunch specials. they've got killer thai food with amazing presentation - i tried to get the owner there to open up a restaurant in hawaii... =)no such luck yet...

[Julia]

Pity about the chicken being too salty. It does look and sound delicious. When that happends, I'll usually just eat more plain rice to offset the saltiness of the dish. :)

The other items also look yummy, especially the pad thai. I love pad thai, and you've just reminded me how long ago it was I had it. I think I'm getting hungry...

[Armchair Cook]

Love your blog!

Bangkok Chef is my favorite Thai place! I love their veggie spring rolls and cashew tofu. I may have to head over there for lunch...

[Reid]

Hi Renee,

I've made several stops at Bangkok Chef and there's always someone there. The only thing that I really don't like, is when I ask for a dish to be prepared spicy and it comes out mild. Other than that, every dish here has been OK, with some dishes being excellent. I can't wait to try the spring rolls that everyone keeps talking about. Maybe I'll have them for dinner tomorrow.

Hi Julia,

Long time no hear!

Yes, it was a pity that the chicken was too salty. But then, you know how oyster sauce can be. I'm almost certain that they used a combination of fish sauce and oyster sauce, and I'm definitely going to ask next time.

The pad thai was great if only because the noodles were so "bouncy". It was a change from my usual place, and I'm still trying to decide if I really like them or not.

Hi Armchair Cook,

Thanks for visiting my blog and for leaving me a comment.

I'm so glad that I finally visited so that I can now taste what everyone's been talking about!

Thanks for dropping by!

[Teefus]

Love Bangkok Chef..in walking distance, cheap and always good. (I think the worst Honolulu Thai I've ever had was at Ala Moana Mall food court...blech)