MARY FURR -- Dining Out

Thailand, alone among southeast Asian countries, has never been

colonized nor its kitchen influenced by other cuisines. Their one rule is

“balance” of the four essences -- hot, sour, salty and sweet -- with some

room for individual innovations such as is found at the tiny Phuket Thai

restaurant on Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach.

Dining in Phuket Thai, with its minimalist interior dominated by a

large portrait of Rama V, descendant of Chulalongkorn of “The King and I”

fame, is as much an adventure for you as it was for schoolteacher Anna

Leuonowen so long ago.

The table beneath the portrait is laid out -- as if for a guest --

with a plate, a banana and a filled glass of champagne. Server Toy

Porchan bows before the portrait in silence, then clears the table.

Returning to our booth, she takes our order, and the day begins with

lunch and the lingering spirit of King Rama.

Toy suggests choosing from one of the 21 chicken, beef or pork lunch

specials ($4.95 to $6.50). Most are smaller servings of the dinner

selections and include steamed rice and soup or salad.

The salad is ordinary greens, but the soup is extraordinary -- a great

hot and sour coconut milk broth called “Tom Yum Kai,” filled with

chicken, Thai spices and lemon juice. Piled on top are loads of fresh

cilantro with the green smell of newly mowed grass.

Selected on another visit was Tom Kha Kai ($5.75 to $7.95), with big

pieces of chicken and loads of sliced mushrooms. Beware the pieces of

woody lemon grass and the hard slices of galangal, which look like big

poker chips. They are for seasoning only.

Both soups have a latent spiciness that is at once warming and tingly.

An appetizer, Koong Yang Puket -- which means “naked shrimp” -- is

typical Thai with nearly a dozen small grilled shrimp laid across torn

greens and two slices of pineapple. The appetizer is served with a sweet

and sour dip of diced onions and cucumbers.

The shrimp were cold, dry and tough and the pineapple canned. The

fresh sauce was the most redeeming part of this poorly conceived

preparation.

Watch the asterisks on the menu, as they really mean spicy, like their

Phad Phet Nor Mai, or “Bamboo Royale.” This dish has garlic-flavored

sliced chicken in an innocent-enough looking bowl that is full of heated

punch.

Fresh vegetables are great in the summer and many dishes at Phuket

Thai could have used more.

Stir-fried Thai Noodles (L. $4.94, D. $7.95), a milder dish, were very

good with chicken egg, bean sprouts, onions and ground peanuts sparked

with the right amount of chiles. It is probably the most famous of dishes

served by street vendors the way hot dogs are in New York.

The traditional Thai way of serving all dishes together rather than in

courses gives dining companions an opportunity to try specialities like

Kung Pao Kai ($7.50, add $1 for shrimp), an oblong dish with only a few

carrots, bell peppers and bamboo shoots dominated by chicken pieces. Snow

peas and celery would have added to the peanuts and dried chile.

Add an order of Kai Tank, four pieces of tender, marinated barbecued

chicken ($7.95) and you have a satisfying dinner.

Thai Iced Coffee ($1.50), not as strong at Vietnamese but a good iced

drink sweetened with condensed milk, makes a good dessert.

Another choice for dessert is Rambutan ($1.95), succulent pieces of

white fruit, much like lycee nuts, served iced in its own sweet juice.

Its Malay name means “hairy,” since in its natural state it has a hard

hairy shell.

Phuket Thai offers a Thai experience as authentic as Anna’s own

introduction to the King of Siam.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have comments

or suggestions for her, call (562) 493-5062.

FYI

Phuket Thai

* WHERE: 16612 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach

* HOURS: Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and

Saturday until 10 p.m.

* CALL: (714) 842-6882

* MISC: Credit cards accepted.