Overview: An immersive Thai restaurant perfect for curry-lovers and adventurous eaters.
Location: 1434 Tutor Lane, Evansville, Indiana, USA
View Thai Papaya's Official Website
The Good: I think I could live off green curry. After discovering Thai food a year before in Indianapolis, and not having a Thai restaurant in my hometown, I was thrilled to happen upon Thai Papaya in Evansville.
The decor is classically restaurant-Asian--you know, aquariums of giant goldfish and such--but with a few distinctively Thai elements, such as wall art depicting scenes from modern Thailand and a Thailand past. The wait staff also wear traditional embellishments on their clothing. This makes for a comfortable and immersive eating environment.
What should you order if you are new to Thai cuisine? Green curry with pork is my all-time favorite. When you order, you will be asked, "How spicy?" If you like spicy foods as I do, let me recommend mid-range; if your tongue tingles at just the thought of a pepper, opt for no spicy at all. Curry is served in two portions--a large bowl of something resembling soup and a smaller bowl of rice. The base of the soup is rich, creamy coconut milk, and it is rife with spices, meats, and vegetables. To ladle the curry over the rice is the traditional method, but feel free to dump the rice right into the big bowl, if you prefer. Either way, you will be taking a culinary journey like never before.
The owner/manager, who wouldn't give me his name but introduced himself only as Joe from Kokomo, insisted that I try his new recipe for pumpkin curry. The pumpkin, he explained, is not the big, orange type we expect to find in pumpkin pies, but a little vegetable native to Asia that we in the states would probably liken more to a squash. It was well worth the suggestion, and is my favorite dish at Thai Papaya. And, I am please to report, it is now part of their regular menu.
What about desert? Save a little room, please, for the coconut ice cream with sticky rice. Yes, eating rice for desert sounds strange to American ears, but it is quite common in the Pacific region. And this desert is so flavorful, you will be coming back for more.
The Bad: I can't really find too much for which to fault this place. If I have to say something negative--which I do, that's my code of honor as the Honest Traveler--I would say that my third visit was not as thrilling as my first. The food was good, but not quite as blow-your-tastebuds-away as the first time. I had my heart set on pumpkin curry, which was at that time not yet a regular menu item, and the restaurant was extra crowded. I'd say those two things probably contributed to a slightly less enjoyable experience. But that said, it was still delicious, and the coconut ice cream with sticky rice completely made up for any lack of pumpkin curry.
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