Cabbages & Condoms, Bangkok, Thailand, tasted on December 4, 2005 — The name of this restaurant certainly gets your attention. And it's meant to. Luckily, Cabbages & Condoms is not a reference to the menu, but rather is the name for the broader hotel and restaurant chain that is dedicated to raising money for a non-profit that among other things supports family planning and anti-AIDS efforts (Population and Community Development Association). You would think that a restaurant in service of a charity would feel it could rest on its good works rather than focus on making great food. You would be wrong.

Cabbages & Condoms is located down a side street (a "soi") in a busy Bangkok neighborhood. That description, however, works for pretty much every restaurant in Bangkok that's not on a main drag. The almost alley-like street from which you enter gives you the impression that  the restaurant will be tucked away and small. It's tucked away, but certainly not small. It's huge in fact. As you pass the handicraft store and the buckets of condoms you enter a large open air space threaded with little white lights. Like a lameass, I opted for the indoor air-conditioned dining room.

As I sat down, the ridiculously attentive but not overly familiar service resulted in a dish of delicious super savory Brown Rice Crackers arrived in front of me. They were like a rice cracker and an Ak-Mak cracker had babies that preserved the best aspects of both. Yummy.

The first of the items I ordered arrived - Chaw Muang. It was steamed minced chicken and onion wrapped in dough. It was chewy, doughy, soft, and slightly sweet, and... purple! Cool. Super yummy dumplings.

Next up was Yum Nuea Yang, Thai spicy and sour salad of pan-grilled beef. This dish was super fresh bright, tangy, and spicy. Pretty great. This was followed by Moo Tod Kra Tiem Phrik Thai, deep-fried pork with pepper and garlic. The pork was not delicate but in a good way but not overbattered. It was super savory without any accompaniment whatsoever. That said, the dried, fried, onion shavings added some good flavor as well. I'm pretty sure this was the best schnitzel I've ever had in my entire life.

The rice that accompanied the dishes was so fragrant. perfumed, and light. Delicious. Thinly sliced cucumbers were everywhere. Super crisp and light. And of course, never mealy.

The meal was interesting as there were were really three distinct flavor profiles represented by each of the dishes. But once I got the essence of each dish I found myself mixing bits and pieces  from each and enjoying the novel combinations.

At this point during my time in Bangkok I had everything from street food to mom and pop hole-in-the-wall  to big family and tourist restaurant to hotel high-end refined. And frankly all rocked. Is it possible to get bad Thai food here? Do I just have an incredibly low bar? I've mentioned before how tough it is to do all this eating eating on my own. I can't really finish everything I order. At Cabbages & Condoms I did. I couldn't help myself. It was just so good (and of course cheap). Thai cooking is based on a deep understanding of flavor and making sure it exists in each dish in generous quantities. But let's be clear on something, strong flavors don't mean there isn't subtlety. There is. Plenty. Strong flavors interwoven in subtle combinations.

After dinner, instead of a mint with the check they give you a condom. Of course.

Tomorrow I try to learn how to cook some Thai food for myself.