THIP KHAO (Washington, D.C.)

If you’re anywhere on the east coast you know how strange the weather is.  September through the end of October is the time where your heat is on at night and your AC is on in the middle of the day.  I figured I could go try some food that’s great for both occasions.  I was on Instagram going through some of my favorite foodie pages, but I decided to stop on one particular person.  @Danahn17 seems to be one that has a strong understanding with Asian inspired dishes.  I reached out to him to ask where I should go and he suggested this restaurant.  He is officially 1 for 1 with restaurant recommendations because the flavors I experienced at this place was beyond amazing.

The restaurant is located in Columbia Heights, about three blocks from the Columbia Heights metro in Washington, D.C.  I frequently pass this restaurant when I’m driving places, but never in a thousand years would I think about stopping here.  Maybe I should make that a personal goal to literally stop at places that I know I’ve driven past more than five times.  I like to do my research on restaurants before I go to them, but maybe the spontaneous endeavors will be beneficial.

Three items were ordered at this restaurant.  Poached Shrimp Salad, Khao Poon, and Oob Bae.  You may or may not be familiar with the last two items I listed but trust me they’re good.  The Poached Shrimp Salad was more of an appetizer, but it was a great sized portion believe it or not.  Six nice size shrimps were surrounded in a chili-lime sauce, along with mint, and cilantro.  The sauce was very sweet but the garlic that was on the shrimp definitely help balance the flavor.  The red cabbage that sat in the middle of the shrimp added a nice bitter taste to the overall dish as well.  If you’re looking for something “healthy” then this is the perfect dish for you.

The next dish that was ordered was the Khao Poon.  It consisted of Rice Vermicelli, Red Coconut Curry, Bamboo, Cabbage, Bean Sprout, Cilantro, Rau Ram, Kaffir Lime, Puffed Rice, and Chicken.  I know that sounds like a lot of ingredients, but trust me, if you order this dish it’ll be one of the best dishes you’ve ever tasted.  The noodles were firm and the coconut curry will be some of the best broth you’ve ever tasted.  If I could take the broth just to go, I certainly would.  The dish gives off a hint of spice as well, but not enough to overpower the overall dish.  This dish is perfect for a nice cool day where you’re looking for something to help keep you warm.

The last dish that was ordered was the Oob Bae.  I want to start off by saying this dish was sent from heaven.  It consisted of Spicy Curry Goat, Bell pepper, Onion, and Cilantro brought together as a stew.  At first you eat the dish and  you get a slight kick from the spiciness of it, but then you “man up” and give yourself fake words of encouragement so you can actually enjoy the dish that much more.  The goat meat fell off of the bone with each swipe.  It was soft, flavorful, and juicy.  This was the best stew I’ve ever had and I was tempted to order another dish but I decided to order this one.  I’ve only had goat a few times, usually in Caribbean restaurants but today I wanted to try something new.

Overall, there are so many words that I can use to describe how great this restaurant is. But, until you decide to go you’ll never know how amazing this place is.  Let me know what you think!

OVERALL RATING : FIRST CLASS EXPERIENCE