THERE'S renewed interest in Ba-Le at Manoa Marketplace, thanks to the arrival of new owner Davis Khanthavong. Change is good at
Ba-Le’s Manoa outletKhanthavong hails from Laos, but learned the biz cooking and waiting on tables at local Chinese and Thai restaurants.
The famous Ba-Le sandwiches -- French loaves filled with various meats and marinated veggies -- are still on the menu for old-times sake, but readers have been raving about the addition of Thai dishes.
The setting is still casual, with half the restaurant open to take-out customers. The other half is partitioned off to lend a touch of privacy with tablecloths suggesting a more elegant experience. Even so, solo diners are as likely to feel comfortable here as couples and families.
On the Vietnamese half of the menu there are the usual phos, or Vietnamese Noodle Soups ($5.95 to $6.25), with varied ingredients such as rare steak or seafood. There are rice noodle dishes topped with BBQ Pork or Chicken ($5.95), garnished with bean sprouts, fresh mint, shredded lettuce, cucumber and crunchy roasted peanuts.
A Vietnamese Chicken Salad is just like the familiar Chinese Chicken Salad, although the former is topped with peanuts rather than won ton chips.But as new fans have said, it's the Thai menu that is a stand out.
Prices here run about $6.95 to $8.50, making it possibly the most inexpensive place in town to get a Thai meal. I was pleasantly surprised by the heaps of food I could get for less than $30.
START with Spring Rolls ($5.50) or skip ahead to some of the tastebud-tingling salads, with their tart dressings of lime. This is the first local Thai restaurant to serve its Calamari Salad ($7.45) hot. The blend of flavors was just as good as cold versions, but with its mix of mint and cucumbers, I can't help but think the intent is to cool and refresh, and that didn't happen here. But that's just me. As always, you'll have your own opinion.
Tom Kha is a Thai-Ginger Soup ($6.95 with chicken/$8.50 with shrimp or fish). Think Tom Yum, with its citrusy touch of lemongrass, with the added silky richness of coconut milk. In spite of the ginger in the name, there is just the slimmest hint of it, which is just as well, since too much ginger can be overpowering. Throughout the menu, flavors were well-balanced so that no one ingredient could strike a sour note.
All of the curries -- red, green and yellow ($6.95 with chicken or beef/$8.50 with shrimp) -- are popular here, as is the Thai Hot Spicy beef ($6.95), which could set off fire alarms in your head. There may be hope for Thai restaurants yet if more of us wimps could take this much heat. More may be encouraged to reintroduce chiles to dishes, instead of taking them out.
Thai Garlic Shrimp ($8.50) were OK, if mild, and featured a plateful of straw mushrooms as space fillers. It seemed wasteful since, oh, 30 per person is probably to much to eat in one sitting.
For dessert, there is an array of tapioca puddings. If you've tried the ones with banana and other fresh fruit, try jolting your palate with something new. Ba-Le also has a chocolate tapioca.
Ba-Le: Manoa Marketplace, next to Safeway
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily
Prices: Dinner for two about $20 to $30
Call: 988-1407; fax 988-2085
Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews run on Thursdays. Reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com-- excellent;
