Patong

Rating: Excellent
Meal:  Dinner for 2
Price:  12.600 BHD
Payment:  Cash only
Dishes: Fried shrimp, fried rice with chicken, green curry, minced meat with basil and fried egg
English Menu: Yes

Smoking: No (I think)

Woohoo!  First Excellent rating in Bahrain so far, and a Thai restaurant to boot.  I spotted this place the other day when I discovered a nearby shisha spot, and I planned on coming back to try it out.  My co-worker and I walked over to have some shisha after work, and then walked around the corner to Patong.

First thing I noticed on going in was the whiteboard with what looked like specials or something written completely in Thai.  I guess if you don't read it, you don't deserve whatever its advertising.  All of the staff were Thai, and the menu stretched on and on.  They did hover a bit, so I shushed them away so we could decide in peace.

My friend decided to go with the deep fried shrimp (battered) and a fried rice with chicken.  I was very torn as there were so many good and interesting things on the menu, stuff I've never tried before (Raw beef and blood?), but I decided to go with my go to dishes that for me determine whether they are making the good stuff:  green curry and minced meat with basil and a fried egg.

Oh my...it was all soooo good!  The flavors were just popping and complex, and all the stuff you want in Thai food.  I asked at first for "very hot" curry but was talked down to medium.  I think I would have liked the full spiciness, but not "Thai Spicy" levels.  There was one red pepper that I decided to chomp on and promptly lit my mouth on fire, so I got some spice all right.  The curry was full of eggplant and little green peppercorns (I think thats what those are), as well as shredded ginger or gobo.  It was quite hearty.  The minced meat with basil was well seasoned to go with the white jasmine rice.  And the egg, while well fried, still had some yolk soft in the middle for which I was grateful.  Best of all, I had plenty of curry left to take home along with another order of rice, so now I have breakfast!

What I wouldn't give to have a place like this in Yokosuka...it beats all of them hands down.  Well worth an Excellent rating and I hope to go back before my 2 weeks is up.