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Amina Thai, Nicholson Lane in Rockville and Colesville Road in Silver Spring - the Only Halal Thai in the DC Area


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Let's make it our next RPLC meeting.

I don't know, no pork, no beer... :)

It's going to be a few weeks before I can make a meeting. Been on the road visiting clients for weeks, and it's going to continue for at least a bit longer.

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My single visit to Amina Thai was underwhelming at best. Not to mention they don't sell beer, which eliminates it from my potential Thai establishments to be patronized.

Well everyone's tastes are different. I don't particularly like beer, so that is no problem for me. I've enjoyed our meals there, especially the currys and the whole fish. I like Ruan Thai better for food, but Amina Thai is much nicer to sit in (much better decor, airy and light, cleaner, etc.) and the folks are very friendly. Somewhere there is the review I did of the place. My wife likes it and I like to keep her happy.

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Ms. DanielK had a hankering for Thai food tonight, so we decided to give Amina Thai a whirl.

It's a small place - seating for less than 40. But Saturday night at 8pm we walked right in and got a table - it was busy, but not completely full. The place is very bright, very clean, and has lovely furnishings. Very comfortable chairs, wood floors, and gorgeous photos of the Thai countryside.

Drink orders were taken promptly - Thai iced teas for the adults, and sodas for the kids. They brought the 6-year-old's soda in a take-out cup with lid without being asked, a very nice touch. We had Tofu Tod and Yum Talay for starters. The tofu was fine - you can't really screw up fried tofu, and the sweet/vinegar sauce with peanuts was very good. The Yum Talay was HOT. I mean REALLY hot. Almost Sichuan hot. The seafood was properly cooked, though it was clearly previously frozen. The kids had chicken satays. I usually prefer pork satays, but no such luck in a Halal restaurant. These were some of the best satays I've had. The marinade was very good, the chicken was very moist, and the peanut sauce was first rate.

We had soft-shell crabs in spicy basil sauce as one of the mains. I thought the batter was perfect, though people who prefer almost no breading on soft-shells would not have been pleased. The extra crispy outside held up well to the sauce, so the last bites of crab were still crispy rather than soggy. The crabs were very fresh and very flavorful. This was the concensus favorite as the best dish of the evening. The other dish was a red curry beef. Not so successful. I thought the curry was bland, and this was rated the same spice level as the super hot appetizer. The beef was long overcooked and tasteless, and there were just a scattering of bamboo shoots and eggplant. The kids went with Lad Na Chicken - essentially the Thai version of Chow Foon. I like the chinese version better, because you get the slightly bitter chinese broccoli, as opposed to the American broccoli we got in this dish, but that doesn't mean we left any of it on the plate. Even the picky 6 year old ate plenty of it.

Service throughout was very efficient and friendly. Waters were kept full, and the staff interacted with my kids wonderfully. One pet peeve - they charge $1 for rice beyond the first bowl. Grrrrrr.

Towards the end of the meal, the chef came out wearing an England jersey, so we had to talk about the England-Paraguay World Cup game earlier that day. They insisted on bringing out a dessert gratis - sliced bananas wrapped in spring roll wrappers and deep fried, served with coconut ice cream and drizzled with honey and chocolate. Very very good, and very very gone inside of a minute.

Total damage with tax and a 20%+ tip was a touch over $80 for four. Not cheap, but reasonable. We'll definitely be back, but I'll be looking for a better recommendation on a curry.

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Our current favorite Thai restaurant is Amina -- the new owner took over the old Wandee Thai Bistro location 18-24 months ago, and in addition to being Halal they have a nice selection of vegetarian options as well.

Several menu standouts include their steamed veggie dumplings -- a unique mix of cantonese and thai flavors, their Larb (both the Larb Gai (chicken) and their vegetarian Larb), and the whole fish options.

I'm not usually a fan of east asian deserts, but their fried banana (wrapped in rice paper, drizzled with chocolate, and served with coconut ice cream) provides an excellent finish with a bit of Thai flair.

They don't have Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad) on the menu, but will make it for you if you request it two days in advance.

Wandee was a bit more adventerous with the breadth of his fish offerings, and having his family around the restaurant made it feel very homey -- but Amina has done an outstanding job of getting her place off the ground and making guests feel welcome.

Reservations are generally not needed for couples, but with their modest size, accomodating larger groups (6+) can sometimes be tricky.

Amina has plenty of options which let you do less than $10/head -- we usually get out at between $15-20 including 2-3 courses and beverages.

Amina Thai Restaurant - 5065 Nicholson LN, Rockville, 20852 - (301) 770-9509

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I like Amina Thai, but I didn't find the curry especially memorable. They were very friendly, and the fried bananas were cute. It was no problem getting a table for 4 at 7pm on a Saturday. But I definitely missed the pork and Singha...

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I like Amina Thai, but I didn't find the curry especially memorable. They were very friendly, and the fried bananas were cute. It was no problem getting a table for 4 at 7pm on a Saturday. But I definitely missed the pork and Singha...

I like the curry, it isn't especially hot, but I found it to be very flavorful. I don't miss pork in Thai food, since I seldom have Thai pork, saving that delight for when I have BBQ. And since I am a wine drinker and not a beer drinker, I seldom have more than one beer with my Thai meals, if at all.

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Picked up some delicious takeout last night including shrimp in red curry sauce that had a subtle sweetness and some heat that slowly creeped up and surprised me. The Nua Num Tok was full of bright fresh flavors though next time I'll ask for extra chilies.

Best Thai I've had in the county so far.

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