Fiery red, scarlet pink and dusky blue filled the sunset sky as I glided down I-4 with the windows open to the mild 73-degree air. It was a perfect Florida day, and I was hoping that it wouldn’t be ruined by a mediocre Thai meal. As it turned out, the food and setting of G&G Thai made it all the better.
When I entered the restaurant, which was perched at a slight elevation in a shopping plaza near the intersection of Conroy Windermere and Turkey Lake roads, my party had already been seated by the window. Minty green walls and vibrant pink filled the room, as the last shards of yellow light poured through gossamer curtains; tasteful paintings of Thai scenery lined the walls. The server greeted us promptly and took our drink order graciously. I have to say, service was one of the best things about G&G. I would look down from a conversation, only to find that our water glasses had been unobtrusively filled. There were never problems answering questions about the menu, nor taking special requests.
We chose a sampling of appetizers, which were delivered to us two by two as dusk claimed the sky. Suddenly hands were reaching, passing, grabbing and sharing in a tangle across the tabletop. Of note, chicken satay ($6) was tender, while sturdily charred and crisp on the edges. The peanut sauce for dipping was sweet, but muted, and amplified the spices on the meat. Fried wontons ($5) were delightfully crunchy, releasing a profusion of ginger-enhanced ground pork. My favorite appetizer, nam sod ($8), was so fragrant with galangal, lemongrass and chilies that when I closed my eyes, I was transported to a spice stall at a Thai market. Tom yum goong ($4) brimmed with shrimp and mushrooms, and was pleasantly sour. The essential oil from steeped kaffir-lime leaves lingered long after the soup was gone.
Entrees were equally as good: Larb gai ($11), a ground chicken dish, was laced with fresh mint, chili pepper and lots of lime juice, and was served with agreeably mellow sticky rice. But no entree could top the garlic duck ($15), which was roasted in a magical way that lured the best flavors from the fowl. The skin was flawlessly crisp and lent texture that got us ready for the musky, dark flesh; the tender vegetables were only a vehicle for delivering the duck and aromatic garlic sauce. Soft-shell crab with yellow curry ($16) was a study in contrasting textures: The crispy crab cracked in my mouth while the curry, with a hint of spice, was glossy and smooth. Beef panang ($9.50), a red curry dish, was somewhat sweet but hearty with stewed bell peppers and zesty basil.
I have a minor complaint about G&G’s inconsistencies with spice level. One of the dishes was explained as “not too hot” and came out smoldering, while my friend requested his dish be very spicy, and it came out with nary a pepper speck in sight.
Luckily, dessert stood up to this delectable meal. The homemade coconut ice cream ($3.50) was light, with a tropical note of pure coconut that softened into sweet milkiness with each spoonful. Mango sticky rice ($6) is seasonal; each grain melded into the sensual whole, spiked with fresh mango. I stepped back into the balmy Florida night completely sated in my small, subtropical corner of the world.
This article appears in Jun 1-7, 2005.