If, while walking on the streets of Tokyo, you happen to blink more than a fraction of a second, you will definitely miss something. On our frequent walks along the Hiro-o shopping road, there are so many activities happening that in time we channel out certain things. One of these things turned out to be the construction of a new restaurant, the Bangkok Kitchen, whose regular-sized portal leads to a spacious underground location. (There is no elevator in the building.) The bright red sign with the white lettering above the portal would alert anyone that the business existed but the sign was competing with other things on that sidewalk. For landmark, use the bright yellow "Outlet Store" next door (not the Outlet Store at the end of the block).
I have never heard of Bangkok Kitchen before, which turned out to be a chain, with the original one being in Krung Thep (Bangkok) itself. There was no expectation whatsoever tonight when my partner and I descended the steps of their restaurant to have Thai food. We were surprised to see how the place was decorated: it was simply modern and bistro-like, very much unlike any Thai restaurants I had ever encountered in California and Tokyo, except for the Osha Thai in the Mission district in San Francisco. The walls and upholstery of the furniture were off-white with stained wood tables and chairs. There was a separate section for smoking seats, and the two dining areas were separated by a small foyer at the bottom of the stairs.
The menu offers a good selection of standard Thai dishes, and the taste, too, is standard Thai (in my 20 years of eating the dish I have seldom encountered bad Thai food, except for once or twice). For two people dining, the portion varies from "not enough" to "just right." The Thai tea still leaves much to be desired.
There are three other locations in Tokyo and the surrounding area: Shinbashi, Shimokitazawa, and Jogaoka. For more information, consult the website (URL included down below).
Bangkok Kitchen
(Hiroo Branch)
Hongoku Building, B1 Fl.
5-2-25 Hiroo
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0012, Japan
Tel: (03) 5448-9790
Fax: (03) 5448-9791
http://Bangkok-kitchen.com
M-F: 11:00-15:30 and 17:30-23:00
Sa & Su: 11:00-23:00
