At Nine Thai, Satisfying the Senses

Thai cuisine is on top of my list when it comes to satisfying all the senses. The dishes looks appealing, smell heavenly and, most of all, taste divine. I love how the flavors assault my palate as the sweet, spicy, sour and savory come together.

My latest task was to visit Nine Thai in Chatham. My friend and I met for an early dinner, walked into a pleasant space and were welcomed by a number of people.

We were given the menus and our red wine—the restaurant is BYOB—was promptly opened with two glasses for the beverage. As we sipped a delicious French Cotes-Du-Rhone—which went perfectly with the entire meal—we looked through the extensive menu, which was mostly made up of Thai food but contained some Japanese dishes, such as sushi.

We started with a typical Thai satay chicken, which was comprised of four pieces of meat marinated with coconut milk on skewers and served with peanut sauce and cucumber relish. The chicken was tender and quite standard, the peanut sauce was good and the dish was satisfactory.

Next came the tom yum chicken soup, a spicy sour soup with mushroom, kaffir leaves and cilantro. It's one of my favorite Thai soups because literally opens up your sinuses, and it was my favorite amongst the appetizers. In the "least favorite" category? The thai green dumplings stuffed with chicken and mixed vegetables. We were disappointed with the lack of flavors in this dish.

As we ordered the shrimp pad Thai and BBQ chicken with a tamarind sauce for our dinner, our server recommended a special of green beans cooked with garlic. We immediately said yes, since we both love anything with lots of garlic, and we asked for the food to be cooked spicy, since we both enjoy a kick to our meal.

The chicken was perfectly cooked and topped with a delicious, tangy tamarind sauce that I loved so much; I asked for some extra on the side. We mixed the hot sauce with the tamarind sauce—a match made in heaven—and had it as a condiment for the entire meal.

The pad Thai was good but a bit sweeter than I generally care for. The shrimp, however, was cooked to perfection, and speaking of perfection—the green beans were delicious. The thick garlic sauce was spiced just right. Enjoyable, indeed.

We ate everything in front of us and we had already asked for a chocolate soufflé while ordering our dinner. Before we had time to contemplate how much we had consumed, we were served the rather large dessert, topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.  It was very good and a perfect ending to a very good meal. Sticky rice with mangoes, on the other hand, wasn't great—the mangoes weren't quite ripe enough.

But as we sat there relishing the delicious flavors still fresh in our minds, I couldn't help compare this meal to one I had the night before. I went to a very trendy Asian restaurant in New York City and really enjoyed the ambiance and the drinks. The meal, on the other hand, was not very memorable.

This meal was delicious and we brought a great bottle of wine. The ambiance was nothing to write home about but I think I would prefer this to the fancy restaurant. At the end of the day, it is all about the food—isn't it?

I will be taking my husband and daughter Nine Thai very soon, and maybe I will see some of you there.