MA LI

She says:
Our party of three showed up without reservations at MaLi, a cozy Thai restaurant/sushi bar in the Highlands. It was 8pm on a Saturday, and although the place was packed the hostess managed to seat us right away. Such service! A round of sweet Thai iced-teas took the edge off our hunger as we pondered the authenticity of ethnic food in the U.S. (Our fellow foodie friend had recently visited Bangkok and claimed that American Thai is just like the real thing; this quelled my doubts about MaLi's odd absence of Asian customers.)

The Moo Shu appetizer that started things off was incredibly tasty--fresh steamed rice rolls stuffed with chicken, shrimp, and vegetables and complimented by a tangy "homemade" sauce. The chicken satay starter featured perfectly cooked strips of chicken, tender on the inside and practically sizzling from the grill. However, the three of us had differing opinions on the two chicken curry entrees. I found the Masaman chicken too sweet for my taste, although I loved the chunks of ripe avocado that were mixed into the dish. My preference was for the subtle spiciness of the Panang chicken (a red coconut-based curry with basil).

He says:
The chicken in both of the curries was disappointing in my opinion. It appears the kitchen sears their chicken breasts ahead of time and only adds it to the curry as a last step. This is problematic. Unlike the fresh-cooked chicken satay, which was outrageously tender, nearly all the curry chicken pieces were dry and overcooked. Additionally the thickness of the meat did not allow it to soak up any juices when finally added to the curry base. Such is the price of expediency. I found the Panang curry itself quite good, with greater intensity and complexity than the Masaman.

She says:
What we all agreed upon was that the Pad Kee Mao (rice noodles stir-fried with chicken, vegetables, and hot pepper) was totally delish--think comfort food with a kick. And the entrees were plentiful ... even with Downtown Boy around we still had lots of leftovers.

We say:
MaLi is a restaurant that seems to concentrate on its food first and foremost (a great quality in a restaurant!), but doesn't lack in ambiance or service. Although we've had better Thai elsewhere, it's a great date spot with reasonable prices, and we look forward to spending a future spring evening on MaLi's patio, sipping Thai iced-tea and chowing down on Pad Kee Mao.




MA LI
961 Amsterdam Ave, Atlanta, GA 30306
http://www.geocities.com/themali2001/