typhoon
january 20, 2005
it's been about two and a half years since i met up with er chick and although we've been talking about meeting up, we never seem to get around to doing so. so i was really looking forward to tonight when we made plans for dinner together last week. er chick isn't really an er chick anymore so i ought to think of a new pseudonym for her. but my mind is drawing a blank at 12:05am - so maybe later when i'm more coherent.
after meeting up at her place, she took me to have dinner at a restaurant called typhoon, located at the santa monica airport. the concept intrigued me so i said i was game to try it out. after some twisty turns here and there, she brought me into some parking lot at an airport where typhoon resides along with another restaurant named hump. er chick informed me that this place serves pan asian cuisine and is pretty unique since they have nearly every type of asian cuisine represented there. usually, i'm wary of places like that since one restaurant should not focus on so many variations of ethnic cuisine. but hell, it wouldn't kill me to try it right?
the restaurant inside was dim and cozy with many people sitting at the bar dining on appetizers and drinks. the main dining area has a panoramic window view of the airport and the planes coming and going on the runway. it's one of those views that changes every second and you can just watch the scenery without paying attention to anything else.
we begin perusing the menu and i was stunned at some of the items on there: CRICKETS, CHAMBAI ANTS, WHITE SEA WORMS. the rest of the menu is an interesting hodge podge of all sorts of asian cuisine ranging from pho-bo, kochu-jang beef salad, mi-goreng, taiwanese sausage, sushi, kung pao chicken, tuna tartare & frogs. it must be one of the most diverse menus i've ever seen.
deciding to play it safe, we ordered dishes we were familiar with. since er chick really digs the tom yum kung soup (thai style spicy & sour soup with shrimp, lemongrass, straw mushrooms & ginger) we went ahead with that one. the taste itself was what i would have expected from a thai restaurant except i felt it was missing a strong element of the lemongrass. i only wished that the soup would have been hotter though. $9.25.
we also ordered the vietnamese appetizer, goi cuon (vietnamese cold rice paper wrapped shrimp vegetable roll). the sauce was exactly the type i have had in vietnamese restaurants and the rolls were light, airy and fresh. it wasn't anything really out of the ordinary but tasted authentic enough. $9.25.
i was slightly craving the pad thai (noodles w/ egg, shrimp, bean sprouts & peanuts) because i wanted something warm, slightly sweet and filling. this turned out to be a great dish. the flavors were what i expected and the texture and consistency of all the elements combined together was just right. $11.25.
the thai grilled chicken with sweet & sour sauce arrived looking quite....dark. but it was just the outside that was misleading. the meat itself was not overcooked and was quite tender. this was another familiar dish to me and the only thing i would have wanted was a larger portion for the price. $13.75.
the restaurant's concept overall was very unique - serving so many types of asian cuisine from all around the world in one location. the ambience was fun and although a bit on the loud side, a very one of a kind place to have dinner while watching the runway. the prices however were steep for the type of food served and at any "regular" asian establishment, the prices would have been 50%-70% off what they charged here. but i can see how they would justify the prices for the unusual dining experience here. the taste of the food was decent although i wouldn't rave about it anymore than an asian restaurant serving the exact same thing. it was definitely a fun place to sit down and chat for a few hours - like what we did.
Typhoon
3221 Donald Douglas Loop South
Santa Monica, California 90405
310.390.6565
all in all, i had such a great time catching up with er chick. she's one of three sisters who i am all friends with and we go back a long way. we were reminiscing from the time we were all in high school together to beyond and up to now. i always cherish those friends who even though i don't see for a few years, i can just sit down and pick up from where to left off, without missing a beat. i'll definitely be seeing more of her from now on and can't wait to have a knitting session as well. i just need to drag out the other two sisters now - their get togethers are long overdue [email me if you're reading this and i know you are! :) ].
