Mike and I were in Sacramento for the California Democratic Convention. On our second night there, a Saturday night in early May, we wanted to get some really good food, at a reasonable price somewhere near the Convention Center. Bangkok@12 got pretty good reviews on Yelp and it ended up fitting the bill perfectly.
Bangkok@12 is a small restaurant, reasonably well decorated and with a little bit more care it could even become a little stylish. The table we were offered, though, near the kitchen with a view of the bathroom door, would not have made our dining experience that pleasant, however – but they did move us to a table by the window when I asked them to. Service was good and unintrusive throughout the evening. But in this restaurant it’s the food, and in particular the sauces, which really star.
Mike and I shared the golden bags (fried wonton skins stuffed with ground chicken, shrimp, mushroom, onion, and cilantro, $6). They were good, though not outstanding, and I’d order them again.
As my entree I ordered my standard at Thai restaurants, mussamun curry. At Bangkok@12 you can order this and other curries with either beef, chicken or pork ($9), shrimp or calamari ($10) or a “seafood combo” ($12). This is because they cook the meats separately, and then mix them with the curry. I had the beef, and it consisted of very thin strips, probably seared. They were OK, but predictably tough, and they lacked the sumptuousness of thick chunks of beef slowly cooked in the sauce. They were redeemed, however, by the sheer beauty of the mussaman curry. It had your typical mussamun flavor, but it was even more intense and layered. It was absolutely delicious. The same can be said about Mike’s panang curry, which he head with the chicken. The chicken was unremarkable, but the curry was well balanced, deep and wonderful. So much so that we were willing to forgive the careless cooked meats.
Beef in Mussamun curry
Chicken in panang curry
In all, it was a very pleasant meal and we’d go back if we were in the area.
Bangkok @12 Thai Restaurant
900 12th st (@ I)
Sacramento, CA
(916) 443-5588
http://www.bangkok12restaurant.com/