The
fact that I’ve eaten something like eight spring rolls in the last week
should serve as clear testament that Southeast Asia is alive and
well-represented in Sonoma County’s food repertoire. And in my own.
In fact, between Petaluma and Healdsburg, there are now more than 25 Thai restaurants alone. That’s a lot of lemongrass.
But as peanut sauce, Pad Thai and Tom Yum become increasingly common, they’re also becoming increasingly uninspired.
Now
before you throw your chopsticks at me, let me say that I love a good
satay and Pad Thai as much as the next guy. But menus like the one at
the recently opened Khoom Lanna confound me. Because while I’ve come to expect ho-hum, ubiquit-Asian dishes like calamari rings, cream cheese wontons (ye gods!), satay,
coconut prawns, sweet and sour pork, cashew chicken and pineapple fried
rice at lesser haunts, I’m disappointed at seeing them here. Khoom
Lanna claims as its inspiration and namesake ‘Lanna’, the Thai kingdom
known for its creativity and fine food and has a price point to match ($9.95 to $12.95 for most entrees).
Pushing through the fledgling restaurant’s menu, however, I am inspired by dishes like Plah Gung ($10.95), charboiled prawns with lemon grass, onions, cilantro, lime and ground rice powder. Beautifully plated, it packs a flavor one-two punch. Lime,
lemongrass, sweet, salty, savory and crunchy all at once–something
Thai food does like no other. Unfortunately, after a few bites, the
powerful fish sauce and herbs start to grate on the palate. There’s
potential here if the chef can get the flavors evened out.
The fresh rolls ($8.95) are also imaginatively plated, with little bean sprout Afros puffing
out on top. Again, nice initial flavor, but the blob of earthy sprouts
just gets in the way after few bites. Kudos, however, for the warm,
savory peanut sauce served along side that’s among the best I’ve had.
Lunch specials, like the daily curry ($7.95),
are a good bet at Khoom Lanna if you want to try a smaller version of
the house curries or other entrees. One pitfall: The tasty appetizer
promised was a lackluster green salad doused with pucker-inducing
vinegar. A better bet might be soup, or a spring roll to really get my
mouth-watering.
Also pleasing is the variety of curries, including ‘Jungle Curry’ made without coconut milk and studded with catfish and veggies, along with Tamarind fish (steamed red snapper with tamarind, peppers, ginger and onions) and sticky rice.
Worth the trip?
Just five days old, Khoom Lanna needs a little time to discover itself.
They’ve clearly got the standards down, and the lunch menu is a
bargain. But let’s hope they look to Lanna for a little additional inspiration.
Khoom Lanna, 107 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707.545.8424. Open 11-2:30pm for lunch, 5pm to 10pm for dinner.
Wow… those are some harsh words. I’ve been there many times but haven’t experienced the same as what you’ve described. I love Khoom Lanna’s food, it’s very authentic and fresh. I feel like their food has gotten better over the past few years.
Ate there for lunch today. Arrived at 2:40, 20 minutes before planned lunch closure. The waitress was annoyed, cold and never once asked me how the food was. Good thing; the red curry (chicken) was sub-par, over priced and lacked the authenticity / love I admire in good Asian food. This establishment needs to close down…there is no compassion in this food. I will never spend my hard earned money there again. Restaurants like Khoom Lanna degrade the essence of this wonderful city.