Pooket II - Glad Thai-dings

[rozrapp]

A new year and a new Thai restaurant. Well, actually, it’s been open about a month and we discovered its existence just before Christmas. I must admit at the outset that I am in no way an expert on Thai food. I don’t really know what constitutes an “authentic” preparation of a particular dish, I have only eaten a couple of times in Thai restaurants, and I never really took to it – that is, until my husband and I ate at Pooket II.

Pooket II is located in Old Bridge, on Route 516, just off Route 9, in The Village at Town Center strip mall, directly across from the Old Bridge Municipal Center. The restaurant is in a large, very beautifully decorated space. Tables are attractively set with dark brown rattan place mats and green plates with a pretty lotus-designed shape. All the serving plates are the same color and have interesting shapes. This is definitely not some divey, hole-in-the-wall set-up, though dress is entirely casual.

Our first visit was on December 26th for lunch. We shared the following: Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce ($5.90); Paw Pia Pak – Fried Vegetarian Spring Roll with dipping sauce ($4.90); Sauteed Roasted Duck with Pepper and Onion ($13.90), which came with steamed Jasmine rice; and for dessert, Fried Banana ($5.90). The satay’s chicken strips were perfectly grilled and moist. The little spring rolls were wonderfully crisp with not a hint of oiliness. Peanut and dipping sauces were lip-smackin’ good. The duck dish was composed of thinly sliced, succulent pieces of breast meat – very much like the French magret – and lots of vegetables in a tasty brown sauce. The small, crunchy banana-filled pastries, which came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, again showed off the chef’s skill with the deep fryer.

On January 2nd, we were back for dinner. This time we each began with a bowl of Keow Nam – Thai wonton soup ($4.90), then shared Pad Siew – Stir Fried Rice Noodles With Beef ($8.90) and Sauteed Chicken With Cashew Nuts ($11.90) with the Jasmine rice accompaniment. Two desserts this time: Fried Bananas again and Fried Ice Cream ($5.50). The soups came out piping hot – as they should – a richly flavored broth with lots of small wontons, sliced vegetable and ultra-thin, glassy-looking noodles. (Do they have a name?) The Pad Siew’s wide noodles were combined with tender pieces of beef and broccoli flowerets, then covered with a rather mellow, but flavor-filled, brown sauce. On the other hand, the sauce for the boneless chicken pieces, vegetables and cashews had a nice, though not overpowering, spicy bite to it. The Fried Ice Cream was certainly unusual, at least to us. However the chef manages to keep the ice cream from melting inside that crispy crust, it was delicious.

Before the main courses came out of the kitchen, our server brought a tray to our table which held four little covered pots with midget serving spoons. One contained ground peanuts, while the others contained spices: red pepper flakes, slices of tiny green peppers and a dark sauce of some kind. My husband, who likes things spicy, partook generously of those items. I stuck with the peanuts.

Portions are not large, and each dish that comes out of the kitchen is beautifully plated and garnished. Service is very pleasant. The restaurant is a BYO.

I asked the owner’s son why the “II” after the restaurant’s name, and he said that their original restaurant is in NYC, on 2nd Avenue, between 50th & 51st Sts. When I then asked why his father decided to open a sibling in, of all place, Old Bridge, he explained that the family lives in neighboring Morganville (Marlboro). Strip malls in the surrounding area abound with Chinese restaurants, but definitely no Thai. I surmise that the owner saw a need for this cuisine and aims to fill it. Sort of an “if I open it, they will come” type of attitude. They are just beginning to advertising, so we will see. Although I may not be an expert on Thai food, I do know what tastes good to me. Both my husband and I are hooked on Pooket II and plan to have lots of meals there.

Pooket II

The Village at Town Center

3843 State Hwy. 516

Old Bridge

Tel. 732-679-5033/732-679-4455

[Kim WB]

Thanks for the comprehensive review, Roz. Sounds like its worth a visit.

Anyone interested in a non-official e-gullet lunch there next week? PM or reply to thread.

[tommy]

i used to enjoy pooket (formally "puket") in NYC on 2nd ave. unfortunately, i saw 1 too many cockroaches there. hopefully this NJ restaurant doesn't suffer from the same issue. Pooket was pretty damned good other than that.

[menton1]

i used to enjoy pooket (formally "puket") in NYC on 2nd ave.  unfortunately, i saw 1 too many cockroaches there.  hopefully this NJ restaurant doesn't suffer from the same issue.  Pooket was pretty damned good other than that. 

I hope Tony Bourdain doesn't have any ideas about frying up those cockroaches and eating them!!

[tommy]

I hope Tony Bourdain doesn't have any ideas about frying up those cockroaches and eating them!!

they can't taste much different than grasshoppers, can they?

[Rosie]

Would love to try it for lunch. Next week is not good though.

[menton1]

I hope Tony Bourdain doesn't have any ideas about frying up those cockroaches and eating them!!

they can't taste much different than grasshoppers, can they?

Yeah, that's what I meant. I think that was the Vietnam show, wasn't it? Or maybe Cambodia.

[rozrapp]

Back to Pooket last evening for the third time. The thermometer in our car read 18 degrees F, so we once again tucked into some steaming Thai Wonton Soup. Still a winner! We tried a different appetizer this time: Kanam Jeeb, steamed dumplings stuffed with shrimp and crabmeat ($5.90). The four dumplings, served with a dipping sauce, were fabulous! The skins were soft and the filling was full of flavor without being very fishy. We had two other dishes for the first time. We have never before eaten Pad Thai, which I gather is a classic Thai dish. I don’t know what it’s supposed to taste like, but what I do know is that we thought this version was terrific ($8.90). We also liked our order of Roasted Duck in Red Wine Sauce ($15.90) – slices of crispy duck breast with mushroom in the aforementioned sauce. It came with steamed Jasmine rice. We were full, so no dessert this time. Lots of other good stuff in store; we’re working our way through the menu.

[rozrapp]

Last night, we continued our goal, as stated in my last post, of slowly making our way through the menu. But we can't get enough of their Thai wonton soup, particularly considering the frigid outdoor temps, so we started with that again. We then partook of Chao Koh ($16), described as "mixed delicacies," a variety of some of their appetizers. The assorted goodies were as follows: satay -- two each of chicken and beet -- with peanut sauce; keow krob = fried wonton stuffed with chicken; koong krabok = fried stuffed shrimp wrapped in spring roll skin; paw pia pak = fried vegetarian spring roll with dipping sauce; and curry puff = fried stuffed croissant with chicken and potatoes. The only things we had had before were the chicken satay and the spring roll. Everything was perfectly prepared -- the chef's deep frying abilities still amaze -- and delicious. Next, we ate Grilled Prawns with Chili Sauce ($17.90). Six nice-sized prawns were butterflied, grilled and then topped and surrounded by the sauce, which had a pleasant bite and much stronger after-bite. There were also vegetables -- carrots, broccoli and another crunchy vegetable that I couldn't identify. Terrific dish! It was served with the usual steamed Jasmine rice. My husband then decided he wanted to have Pad Siew, the stir fried rice noodles with beef and little broccoli florets that we had had on our first visit. It was still as good this time around. And another repeat for dessert -- Fried Ice Cream. Yum! Stay tuned for the next report.

[=Mark]

So, any possibility of an eGullety type event there in the near future?

[Tom D]

Thanks for the detailed report. We have also heard nice things about Pooket from friends.

Need to get there soon.

Has anyone noticed a change for the worst in Mei Thai in Woodbridge.

Entrees last two times there both poorly prepared and very skimpy. Actually left hungry last time.

Maybe a change in chefs.

Tom

[tommy]

larb.

[201]

...Actually left hungry last time...

My deepest sympathies!!

[rockhopper]

Tried their lunch specials yesterday. It wasn't the worst Thai food I've ever had (I've had it all over the planet including Thailand. Haven't tried it in antarctica yet...) but it really was on the bottom side of mediocre.

The green curry was very bland and thin. Like they took 1/8 tsp of Maesri paste and mixed with thin (the kind with fat skimmed) coconut milk. There were pieces of Kaffir lime leaf in it but their flavor wasn't. I bit one (you usually don't) and it was dead; boiled out. Only beef was available and it was very tough. There were huge chunks of cheap veggies like bamboo shoots. It wasn't Jasmine rice either. The hot tea was a cup of hot water and a chinese tea bag.

The salad was iceberg lettuce with a sweet and sour dressing - not the peanut dressing you'd expect.

rozrapp seems to have gone for dinner several times. perhaps they have a different chef at dinner. I would never eat lunch here again though.

The decor is indeed very nice.