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REVIEW |
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Exotic Fare at the Green Papayaby the Roving Gourmets Lakeridge Life, Volume 24, No. 22, Spring Summer 2006
The Green RoomThe Green Papaya, 160 Albany Turnpike, Canton, 860-693-9322. Closed Mondays. July 7, 2006
By STEVE & LISA ALCAZARI
Tiny lights with delicate bamboo shades are strung along the windows in the charming front entrance. In the dining room, the walls are painted a cool mango color. A framed rubbing depicted a pair of dancers making elegant hand gestures hung over our table. It´s BYOB at Green Papaya, which is nice as well. (There´s a $3 corkage fee). We started with iced coffee -- a rare chance to start with dessert. Served in tall glasses, a layer of sweet milk floated near the top. A starter of Lao lemongrass chicken arrived at our table in a woven bamboo boat lined with a banana leaf. These bite-sized bits of lightly battered chicken didn´t taste of lemongrass, but the chili relish added a sweet top note. Steamed shrimp dumplings were arranged like four petals of a blooming flower. Sometimes steamed dumplings are sodden, but these were delicate. A bowl of tom yum soup swam with pieces of green pepper, plump white mushrooms and strips of lime leaves, which, along with numerous slices of fibrous galangal root, blended into a powerful and fruity perfume. Other apps range from tempura and spring and summer rolls, to calamari and steamed mussels. Along with the usual Thai offerings, The Green Papaya also serves duck, fried whole snapper, Cornish hen, Lao sausages, and a variety of noodle dishes. When we ordered entrées, the waitress steered Lisa away from pairing up seafood with sweet massamun curry, which had the ring of sound advice. Instead, Lisa had a hotter panang seafood curry with shrimp, scallops, squid and vegetables, served in a lovely decorative dish. The curry broth had the heat of chili peppers and the smooth feel of coconut milk. My order was slightly confusing. I asked for a soft-shell crab curry, but it turned out not to be quite so simple -- when ordering certain curries at The Green Papaya one has to choose from a sauce made with ginger, garlic or basil. I went with the ginger curry. Two fried soft-shell crabs lay under heaps of sliced onion, pepper, baby corn and bamboo. I´ve always loved soft-shell crab in sushi, but, tasty though they are, when hacking through crabs it´s best not to look too closely at what´s on the end of your fork. Our waitress came to the table and seemed genuinely interested in how we liked our food. She apologized for dropping a plate in the kitchen. Then she talked us into an order of fried ice cream. With a crisp panko (Japanese bread crumbs) crust exterior, the lemon-sized lump of ice cream had only started to melt around the outside. Like everything, dessert looked great on the plate, with small rosettes of whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Just remember to bring along beers or a bottle of wine, or two. |
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