Duck curry

Bangkok City
4503 Greenville Ave.
214-691-8233

Promised delivery time: 45-60 minutes
Actual delivery time: 59 minutes

Having to call 3 times before someone actually picked up the phone: -20
Finally getting someone to answer, and very politely take my order: 15
Double-checking my long order, and making sure the portions I wanted were in fact what I wanted (when it came to either a single soup bowl vs. the larger family size, etc): 15
Two words: Free Delivery: 20
Food arriving just under the buzzer: 15
All the food being packed perfectly, and conscientiously, for what could be difficult to transport (soups, sauces, etc): 15
Not getting a recommendation of a seasonal or new dish like usual: -5
Same portions as you would get dining in: 15
Said portions still steaming hot upon arrival: 15
Having leftovers for the following day that keep well in the same containers they came in: 10

Total score: 95

Top Ten

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There's a city within Dallas that's known for its peculiar setting, its proximity to SMU, its propensity for having unique ways and tastes that are different from the norm.

Not talking about Highland Park, no. But you're close. In fact, I live pretty close to this delicious hideaway myself, and try to visit as much as possible, unlike your first guess.

Where is this Shangri-La? The corner of Greenville Avenue and the recently renamed SMU Boulevard is where you will find Bangkok City, nestled between either a dry cleaner or a beauty salon (or a head shop, seems to change every few months...) and the likes of Milo Butterfingers and the rest of the "SMUbar" dregs. What could be better than to have a great little Thai restaurant within walking distance from one's residence? Oh yeah, having the Thai restaurant come to you instead.

Typically, at my house, after a weekend of catching up with the rest of the world outside of the work week, Sunday nights are a sacred time of relaxation and pajama pants. Sometimes, it's pizza, sometimes it's leftovers, sometimes it's a quick run through a drive-thru, but sometimes weekends deserve grander fare. Sometimes the desire for some damn good non-American, non-processed slow-food is in order. Oh wait, the PJ's... This looks like a job for Bangkok City.

Having ordered there for the purpose of delivery only a meager handful of times before (some Pad Thai here, some spring rolls there), I thought I'd go for gusto and order a meal as I would upon dining in, to see if it all held up.

Of course, getting through to them on this particular occasion begin to be quite frustrating. Call number one: 15 rings... Did I dial the right number? Yes. Call number two: 10 rings... Are they closed? No. it was a just after 9, with a closing time of 10 p.m. Hmm. Let's try a different phone. Another 10 rings. Hello? "Bangkok City, how can I help you?" Success!

Needless to say, I was suspicious that perhaps they were biased against my number. Do they have a caller ID on their phone? Have I been blacklisted? Maybe it was just a busy night for them. I'm already fearing an unpleasant experience. But no, the nice woman on the other end was very polite, clear, and considerate, especially with my order fit for royals:

Imperial Rolls
Tom Kha Gai (soup, single serving)
Crab Meat Soup (single serving)
Prew Wan with chicken
Duck Curry (3 chili-peppers hot)
Pineapple Fried Rice

After double-checking my order, and making sure that I only wanted the single serving soups and not a whole family order, the order was placed, and promised between 45 and 60 minutes later. Fair enough. It's a full-on sit down meal that could have been enjoyed on site, it's going to take a while, but, you know, PJ's.

59 minutes later.

On just before the dot, ding-dong, let's do this.

The delivery kid (obviously someone's younger sibling, just old enough to wield a driver's license) was pleasant, and presented our food with ease and pride, all in one perfectly stapled brown grocery-sized bag. Very nice, but be careful, there be soups in that there sack!

No worries. Bangkok City employs very nice plastic bowls with snap-tight lids for the transport of their steaming hot soups, each container double-wrapped in plastic and tied, just in case something were to spill. Oh but there's a third container? An order foul-up? Oh no, it's just foul... water fowl actually. I opened the container to find my duck curry and the aroma was beautiful... Soup and rolls first!

Everything else is neatly packaged, and even presented well despite the delivery. The Imperial rolls came with the same garnish as they do when dining in, and tasted just as good, as did their soups, still very hot (of course, like I mentioned before, they're literally blocks away, but still, kudos). Moving onto the main courses, flavorful still, the Prew Wan with chicken for the missus (one of our very favorite dishes when we visit), fresh-tasting and full of all the flavors we hoped would come to us. The red herring here for us, though, was the Pineapple Fried Rice, which I ordered on a lark (My own decision. Before, they always recommended dishes for me to try, but this time I was on my own.) I thought I'd stick with the pineapple theme that both the Prew Wan and duck curry have in their ingredients)

Well, no fault on them, the pineapple fried rice just wasn't my style. The missus and I both agreed it tasted more like cinnamon fried rice, and didn't have the right balance of flavors that we hoped for based on the list of ingredients. No matter, we had plenty of food, and we'd gotten to try something new. In fact, as far as trying something new, we had a big winner in the duck curry.

Amazing.

I had never had that particular item off their menu before, and now I want to see if it could possibly be any better on-site. I would be amazed if it could. Maybe if they let me wear my PJ's and have free reign on their big-screen. Good god, with 3 chili-pepper strength spiciness, pineapple chunks, whole baby tomatoes, rich succulent duck meat all in a creamy curry sauce, egads, I think I found my new favorite delivery dish.

Overall, the visit of our favorite secret city to our home was delicious, if not even more delicious than dining in. Always full of flavor, delight, and kind kind courtesy, Bangkok City is your destination for that little Asian vacation in your living room. Pajama pants not included.


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