Restaurant review: Thai like Grandma used to make

Garn Rattanakun, 36-year-old owner and head chef of Pa Nuang Thai Cuisine Restaurant, credits his grandmother for "building a relationship between [himself] and cooking."

His grandmother raised and supported her large family by selling foods and desserts from a food cart along the sidewalks in their native Thailand.

Rattanakun spent time in his grandmother's kitchen observing and helping prepare meals. Appropriately, the restaurant is named after her.

Rattanakun dreamed of being an architect and building houses after graduating from the Maryland Drafting Institute in 1987. After several years, he grew bored and pursued his second dream of owning a restaurant.

Rattanakun learned the business by working alongside his uncle, Rungrote Rattanakun, at his Charlottesville restaurant, Lime Leaf.

With his wife, Nate, as his manager, and other family members at his side, Garn Rattanakun opened Pa Nuang in September of 2008.

Just outside the door at Rattanakun's Galveston Court location is an intimate courtyard with benches and a fountain. (Weather permitting, Pa Nuang adds seating for outside dining.)

This quaint setting provides an adequate amount of ambiance, tastefully appointed with black metal chairs, orchid-adorned, laquered tables and an overstuffed banquette lining one wall. A small bar area, serving only beer and wine, affords the luxury of a large flat-screen television.

Defining Thai cuisine for the novice, Rattanakun has a straight-forward answer: "Thailand is a peninsula in the middle of Asia. A long time ago, the Chinese crossed the peninsula to reach India and do business. People from India crossed to reach China. They brought spices and recipes, traded and left them. Thailand is like a mixing bowl with all those ingredients -- Indian curry, Chinese noodles, etc."

Rattanakun admits his passion for cooking and loves to create new dishes.

"In a restaurant, you have to try something new, create a new menu, and test it. Let someone else experience it. It's hard work and I don't mind the heat in the kitchen," he said.

Nine assorted appetizers ($3.95 to $6.95) include classic spring rolls, fried calamari, fish cakes and chicken satay.

I must return to sample the Fried Tofu Chips: golden fried tofu slices served with sweet chili sauce and topped with crushed peanuts and cilantro ($4.95).

The expansive menu leaves nothing to be desired. Chef's Special Ka Pao Catfish is one of my favorites ($12.95). This moderately-priced dish offers the same flavors as classic Thai, crispy whole fish, at half the price. This dish packs a kick, flavored with sautéed basil leaves, onions and chili in-house-made kapow sauce. KA! POW! Enjoy!

Menu items are labeled with pepper symbols to indicate degree of heat. Rattanakun admits he will adjust "heat" levels up or down the scale to accomodate his customers.

Pad Thai, the most famous dish in Thailand, is a non-spicy menu selection. This noodle dish, made with your choice of chicken, beef or pork, or a seafood blend of shrimp, scallops and calamari is a Pa Nuang favorite ($8.95 to $11.95). It is made with traditional stir-fried rice noodles and homemade Pad Thai sauce with a sweet and sour flavor, and includes bean sprouts, scallions, roasted peanuts and scrambled eggs.

After a night of drinking, Rattanakun recommended Drunken Noodles. The combination of stir-fried, wide rice noodles with basil leaves, spicy fresh peppers, sliced onions, scallions and your choice of meat will keep you awake and satisfy your taste buds.

My favorite beverage to quell the spicy cuisine is with Thai Iced Coffee, a unique blend of Thai coffee beans, slowly brewed and served icy cold. This sweet and creamy traditional drink, known as O-Leang, is perfect for putting out the fire. Aromatique Thai Iced Tea, Cha Yen, runs a close second. Sweeter with a hint of spice, this fragrant drink is refreshing.

Assorted curry dishes include red curry (a spicy blend of Thai red chili peppers), green curry (mildly spicy with eggplant and other vegetables), Panang curry (thicker and slightly sweet), Mussamun curry (flavored with cinnamon, cardamom and cloves), and Pad Ped (hot chili curry paste).

If your preference is Indian cuisine, try the savory Indian Curry Fried Rice with chicken ($8.95). This tasty combination of fried rice in a mild Indian curry sauce with carrots, celery, scallions, peas and onions is served with fresh, sliced cucumbers and lime.

Don't end your meal without examining the lengthy dessert menu.

Traditional sticky rice and mango line up with coconut ice cream, green tea ice cream, mango ice cream and mango mousse. Honey Banana Rolls, akin to fried spring rolls, are served hot and golden crispy and sprinkled with sesame seeds and honey ($3.95). Yummy! Khow Tom Mud, banana with sticky rice, is an authentic Thai dessert, which can serve as a vegetarian meal in itself. Served warm and sweet, bananas with sticky rice are wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed to perfection ($3.95).

Mary Ann Kauchak can be reached at makauchak@comcast.net.

WANT TO GO?

» PA NUANG THAI CUISINE, 12651 Galveston Court, Manassas

» CALL: 703-878-8899 or 703-878-8895

» HOURS:

LUNCH: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (7 days a week)

DINNER: Monday through Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m.

Sunday, 3 to 9 p.m.

» DAILY LUNCH SPECIALS: $8.99 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.