food & dining

Some like it hot

My prior excursions to the Royal Thai, on Calle 49 and Avenida Uruguay on the fringe of Panama City’s banking district, have been for lunch, in the company of people who like to order things to share and who don’t particularly like the hot stuff. This time I went for dinner, in the company of two other people with their own peculiar tastes and their particular momentary or habitual dietary restrictions. Thus we ordered separately, which gave me the opportunity to do the hot stuff.

As in pad, Thai noodles with shrimp and mildly hot peppers, and chicken in hot pepper and garlic sauce. That’s what I ordered, and I wasn’t disappointed. Rather than a burn the tongue and numb the gums hot, the spices brought out the flavor and left a growing incendiary aftertaste that was pleasing rather than painful. My order was a couple of spicy things rather than one fiery dish to be balanced with a bland one and it worked very well because the chef knew how to flavor rather than overpower.

At the Royal Thai they denote spicy hot things by a code of from one to three hot peppers. It’s an honest rating system with which plenty of Americans would be familiar. In Panama, however, most ethnic restaurants tone the spices way down because in the capital most palates prefer milder foods. That really doesn’t do for those raised on the spicier fare of the Atlantic side, or those of us who in other places have acquired tastes for things Szechuan-style, vindaloo, or the wilder side of Thai. At this establishment such folks can satiate their special tastes, while those with an aversion to the picante can also find a good selection of good things.

(“Good things,” as in the appetizer we shared, strips of chicken in honey and sesame sauce. As in the little crepes to fill with pork and vegetables, and the corvina concoction and fried rice, that the others in my party ordered.)

The Royal Thai’s service is excellent, its ambience is just right and its prices are reasonable. They do both Thai and Chinese cuisine there. They have off-street parking and a full bar.

When friends or relatives visit from abroad and you want to show them the joys and subtleties of Panama City’s polyglot international culinary culture, the Royal Thai should be somewhere near the top of the list of places you should consider taking them.

Back to top

Financial services at Finansbanken --- http://www.finansbanken.dk/english/index.html
Build a home in Las Cumbres with Villa Concordia --- http://villaconcordia-pma.com/
Make the Executive Hotel your headquarters in Panama City --- http://www.executivehotel-panama.com
Let Alegria Web Design handle your Internet needs --- http://www.alegriawebdesign.com