In its first
10 years of existence, downtown restaurant
Beauregard's Thai Room has weathered a transition
from New Orleans-style fare (thus the name
Beauregard's) to Thai cuisine...
Several things have remained consistent though -
good food, great prices, a beautiful courtyard
(easily my favorite dining atmosphere in Richmond)
and, most importantly, the presence of lone
remaining partner Suwit "David" Roygulchareon, who
hails from Bangkok, Thailand, and exudes an obvious
passion for his native cuisine.
It was wintertime when I paid two recent visits, so
I settled for staring longingly through the window
at my beloved courtyard. Fortunately, I didn't miss
it too badly, since the back dining room provided
comfort aplenty.
One day for lunch, my wife, Lisa, and I indulged in
the spring-roll appetizer ($2.95), satay plate
($6.75), guay teaw tom yum ($8.25) and generous
scoops of homemade ice cream ($4.50) for dessert.
The spring rolls, filled with cabbage and carrot,
were fried to a wonderful, golden crispness and
served with a syrupy sweet-and-sour dipping sauce.
The two worked quite well together, although we
would have preferred less sweetness and more
sourness in the sauce.
The satay entree provided skewered, grilled beef and
chicken breast with the customary peanut sauce ? a
thick paste with a hint of heat. Along with the
tender meat came a generous helping of rather plain
yellow rice and cucumber salad featuring carrot, red
onion and a dressing that very closely resembled the
spring-roll dip.
The guay teaw tom yum was loaded with small shrimp.
Offering plentiful rice noodles swimming in a sweet
lemongrass-shrimp broth, as well as scallions, bean
sprouts and ground peanuts, this entree was warm,
satisfying and delicious. It struck me as the
perfect Thai comfort food. The only disappointment
was the near absence of heat. Though it was only
given a one-chili-pepper rating (out of a possible
three), I did expect more "punch" than I got.
The ice creams were terrific. At the suggestion of
our waitress, we chose the medley of coconut and
banana. While the former was chock-full of grated
meat, the latter came studded with large chunks of
walnut. The day's wintry weather couldn't deter us
from gobbling up these sweet, frozen delights.
When I returned a few days later for dinner, I
sampled tom kha gai ($3.95), vegetable pad thai
($8.25) and tia maria cake ($4.25).
The first course - chicken soup in a
lime-coconut-milk broth - was well stocked with
chunks of meat, straw mushrooms, and red and green
onions. A touch of chili spiciness made this soup
even more enticing.
The vegetable pad thai - a substantial dish
featuring perfectly cooked rice noodles lightly
coated with savory broth - was dressed up with fresh
broccoli, carrot, zucchini, green onion, bean
sprouts and peanuts. The veggies were only lightly
cooked, keeping them from being limp.
The tia maria cake can be best described as a wedge
of fudge that should satisfy anyone's hankering for
chocolate. A thick raspberry coulis coated this
filling dessert, which needless to say is not a
traditional Thai offering.
The Thai Room has yet to let me down with its
appealing atmosphere and delicious food. Now come
on, spring, so I can hit that courtyard!
Sourced : Richmond Magazine;
