This popular Chesterfield spot has been a Thai restaurant for many years, but has been Addie’s for about the past 10 years. It has a large and interesting menu, with many dishes you probably won’t find elsewhere in town. The decor is OK, but a little tired from its heyday, when its beautiful teakwood interior was fresher.
The servers, however, wear attractive Thai silk gowns, and the food, too, is authentic, with several unusual dishes you don’t see everywhere. Our starter of Fish Cakes ($10) came as four patties, spongy in texture, kind of like hot dogs or fish balls. While I’m not sure what was in them, I’m assuming it was some kind of ground fish bound together, possibly by gelatin. We asked the server, but her command of English didn’t extend to detailed description. The accompanying dipping sauce was amazing, a clear blend of rice wine vinegar, sugar and cubed cucumber. Also excellent were the Fried Sweet Potatoes, crisp and flavorful with a good dipping sauce.
An order of Trout in Green Curry with Eggplant ($21.95) was the kind of dish you crave long after it’s gone. What looked like an entire trout was smothered in green curry and coconut milk to yield a sweet, creamy and sweet basil-filled bowl of joy. The trout appeared to be cured in some way, as it was reddish, dry and slightly crisp from a pan finish prior to serving. There was plenty of Japanese eggplant in there, too, rounds of tender vegetable that added its soft texture to the firm trout.
Another atypical dish was Potchak ($14), a version of Thai hot and sour soup that got its sour from plenty of lime juice. Here it was a thin broth brimming with shrimp, scallops, calamari, green mussels, lemongrass and cilantro. The hot came from red pepper flakes, which you could request on a heat scale from one to five. The broth was excellent and mouth-puckeringly sour. The seafood was quite good, if a little overcooked in the hot broth.
Seemingly simple, fried rice can be a wonderful treat, as it was here in Thai Fried Rice with Shrimp ($17), a delicious oily mix of onions, garlic, broccoli, fried egg, shrimp and rice. Every grain was coated with oil and soy sauce, and the veggies were cooked crisp, giving some texture and body to the dish.
Not nearly as successful was Crying Tiger ($17), a disappointing plateful of sliced flank steak served with a very spicy and garlicy clear dipping sauce. The meat simply was unappetizing, as it had no sear or seasoning. White rice is served complimentary with dishes, and it was a generous and fluffy serving. For dessert we had sticky rice with coconut custard, which was quite good. A large mound of sweet sticky rice came topped with very sweet and creamy coconut-milk custard—a great combination in both texture and taste.
[amuse bouche]
THE SCENE | Authentic Thai restaurant
THE CHEF | Louis Brinckwirth
THE PRICES | $8 to $12 appetizers, $14 to $33 entrees
THE FAVORITES | Trout in Green Curry With Eggplant, Thai Rice with Shrimp, Potchak, Fried Sweet Potatoes
[chef chat] >> louis brinckwirth
PEDIGREE | I’ve worked in restaurants since I was 16 and have worked with some well- known chefs.
FAVORITE INGREDIENT | Garlic or basil
FAVORITE RESTAURANT | Giovanni’s On The Hill
FAVORITE COOKBOOK | Thai Food by David Thompson
MOST MEMORABLE DINING EXPERIENCE | In Bangkok at Sukhunvit House No. 1—the food, service, atmosphere: Everything was perfect.
13441 olive blvd. | 314.469.1660
Photos: Bill Barrett