We never got a chance to try Kebena when it was still around. It has since been replaced...
by a Thai place, Aaharn by Koon Thai (yes, the same owners as the place near Nijiya Market)...
This first visit, Bert and I parked on B Street near Niederfrank's, not knowing there were a few designated spaced behind the towers for Aaharn.
One of my gym pals, who is Thai, has been here several times and recommended going here. She gave high praise for their curries.
Bert and I had a late lunch this particular visit. It was 2:15 and they would be closing at 3 pm and then reopen at 4:30 for dinner. Thi was a pretty late lunch.
We ordered the first special (pla naarng ma new) and the yellow curry. Bert also ordered a Thai iced coffee with coconut milk which he really enjoyed. It was nice that the milk or cream could be subbed with this.
The steamed fish was so fragrant from the garlic and lime juice and cilantro garnish. The portion was also larger than we expected. The fish was so soft but also flaky. We ended up taking home leftovers so that TC could try it later.
We tried the yellow curry with shrimp (there were seven large shrimp in there). While the sauce itself was flavorful, the carrots and potatoes were still hard, so no bueno for that. The leftover curry was enjoyed with the rice the next day by TC as well.
Less than a week later I was back but this time with Astroboi and TC, yes, that's right! He was helping to design floral centerpieces for TC's upcoming birthday party in August. He has always had an artistic flair and we were able to finish the bulk of the centerpieces that same morning. So off to lunch we went...
(Stormtrooper on utility box along E. 8th St)
This time, I remembered to take advantage of customer parking behind the tower. We noticed that some parts of the sidewalk has massive bird splats on them, ugh. Made me want to duck and cover.
We got a middle table and figured out which dishes to order so we could share.
TC wanted to try the Thai tea and the server suggested the grass jelly intead of boba. TC would have preferred boba since she didn't really like the taste of the jellies (which did fit through the boba straw).
We started off with fresh shrimp rolls served with a chunky peanut sauce. Rolls were okay and freshly made. I mean, they should be. We were the only diners for most of the hour that we were there.
The Khao Karr Moo was supposed to be braised pork with egg and pickled greens. None of that last ingredient which I was hoping to taste. Instead, it was broccoli and carrot. The meat was a large portion, was tender but tasted strongly of five spice powder which I'm not a fan of. I mean, I'll eat it, but the flavor profile is not my thing, hence my avoidance of certain cuisines that use this spice mix.
Crab fried rice was pretty good - lots of crab on top...the real kind, not Krab.
The pad thai with vegetables and tofu....let's just say NO to this one. Why? Too sweet. Like really sweet sauce. Ugh.
Of the last three dishes, I liked the meat dish the best. That pad thai was not great at all and the fried rice was all right. I don't normally order fried rice anything, but it was just to have a bit of variety for this lunch outing. TC didn't like her noodles too much either and mostly ate the rice. Hopefully Astroboi enjoyed the pork leftovers.
Who else went to Aaharn
Kirk posted his visit from back in May
Aaharn by Koon Thai
801 National City Blvd.
National City, CA 91950
(619) 434-4776
www.aaharn.us + reviews from you know where
There are some other new restaurants that have opened up in the South Bay including a Himalayan eatery that I'm curious to try out...
Only a week and a half of vacation..
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