Parking in front of a castle and walking past big trees illuminated with yellow lights reminded us of something from a fairly tale—that is, if we ignored the Index Mall across the street and go-kart racing lanes behind the building. In truth, the castle is the former amusment park Dan Naramit, and has now been transformed into a racetrack. We love go-karts, but our stomach cried for food, not speed, so we proceeded directly to the restaurant called Iron Chefs. The two-story eatery had simple decorations in a bright cream color. A singer played an acoustic guitar in the alfresco dining area. Ceiling to floor windows helped the bistro look bigger than it actually was and we could view the traffic outside. When a waiter asked what we would like to have, one of us said “anything delicious.” He made a funny face and smiled before recommending somtam thawt (crispy fried papaya served with somtam sauce). We assumed that it must have been similar to crispy fried morning glory that we were used to, but the waiter insisted, “No, somtam thawt is more delicious.” And he was right. We like the dish because it was crunchy without being greasy and the sauce was full of flavor. Other recommendations from the eager waiter included Steamed Spare Rib with Vegetable Iron Chef and smoked chicken wings. These dishes were flawless. The ribs were soft and tasty, and the chicken wings were so flavorsome by themselves, we decided to forgo the sweet sauce they were served with. Our only complaint with these might be the small portions. Unfortunately, our last two dishes weren’t quite as good as the previous ones. Yam het kem thong (mushroom spicy and sour salad) was OK, but not stunning. Plaa ka phong phat phrik Thai dam (stir fried sea bass with black pepper) was impressively presented but too heavy on the MSG. Though the pleasant meal at the old magic land wasn’t going to lead us to a happily ever afterlife, we surely had a lot of energy as we moved on to the go-karts.
