Tom Yum Thai
I have volunteered at the Children’s Hospital here in Winnipeg for a number of years. Many hours on the job are spent snuggling a baby and staring out the window. In doing so, I have often wondered about Tom Yum Thai that is often within my gaze at corner of Sherbrook St. & William Ave. Recently, the opportunity to discover more about the restaurant, presented itself.
The place is cozy with booths along one wall and delicious aromas wafting from the open kitchen. On the day we visited, they explained that they were short staffed and it was obviously “all hands on deck” with one of the regular cooks taking care of us at our table. This sometimes makes for a disastrous dining experience but not when smiles are genuine and food so authentic and delicious.
First up was a “Lettuce Wrap Salad”. We wondered: is it a lettuce wrap or is it a salad? While we were scooping spoonfuls of sautéed veggies and crunchy rice noodles onto torn lettuce leaves, we realized that indeed both descriptions were appropriate. The first successful bite could be dubbed a “lettuce wrap” but subsequent attempts, kind of fell apart in our hands. We immediately reached for our forks, not wanting to interrupt the delicious tastes, which turned out to be more like eating a “wrap salad”. Don’t let the mess dissuade you. The mushrooms, red and green peppers and onions were perfectly seasoned with basil and proved to be absolutely delectable.
We especially loved the Tom Kha Galangal Soup. Typically my favourite Thai soup, the galangal is an authentic ingredient that definitely gives the soup its distinctive floral flavour. The galangal, which physically resembles ginger (but not in taste), is thinly sliced from raw product. In Tom Yum’s version the galangal appears to have been pickled or at least stored in brine. Cut into very thin little ribbons it holds a prominent place in the texture and flavour profile of the soup. We also loved the sweetness of the coconut broth. Palm sugar is typically called for, but we detected that brown sugar was utilized providing caramel notes.
The large shared bowl of soup along with the starter was the perfect amount for a tasty, light lunch. We would not have known that this had not been a regular day in the restaurant, had we not been apologetically told.
Kath’s quote: “Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort.” Norman Kolpas
Love, that is all.
