Talay Ho!

Sipping IPA's after work, one of our regulars is bemoaning the horrible lunch she was forced to endure at an all-you-can-eat Pizza Delight buffet in Bridgewater that day. This really does call for a move to somewhere besides a pub, to make up for her earlier disappointment.

We barely squeeze into Talay Thai, on Barrington, just before a rush hits that fills the place up and into the street.

Our server is a guy, and I later find out that we hit the right spot, as well as the right time, as he seems to be the one there who can move the meals along at a pace faster than digestion.

We order a round of Propeller beers, some spring rolls, both kinds (fresh and cooked - or as we decided to call them, stale), plus an order of Thai Beef Salad. They arrive promptly, and are all really good. The Beef Salad is something I will go back for.

We each pick out a main course to share around. My choice is the Duck Curry, and others include Chicken Phad Thai, Thai Spiced Tilapia (fish), and the Beef Curry. Despite not being a big fish eater, I enjoy the Tilapia, though its baleful gaze is something I am more accustomed to seeing in the bottom of a boat. The heat level on everything seems about right - no one is breaking out in fits of persperation, or having premature hot flashes.

I love the duck curry, and am happy to have it, except that the very person who triggered our coming here will apparently not eat things that talked in childhood animal stories (except chickens, pigs, cows and fish). So she won't touch it, despite how yummy it is. I especially love how the grapes, cooked into the sauce, become these little curry bombs when you bite them.

The Phad Thai is OK, and, oddly, perhaps the weakest thing we have, compared to my past experience with this dish. Maybe I just needed more of it. The beef curry was excellent.

In the end, we leave, very happy, full, and with a bit of the glow from the spices and the company to take us home to our beds.