Last week, my friend IndianJones made a random pop-in at my apartment and expressed a desire to consume spicy food for dinner. Where else to go but Jitlada Thai Cuisine, a local Thai restaurant that has made a name for itself as being one of the spiciest — if not the spiciest — restaurants in Los Angeles. I had only gone one prior time, and that visit ended with me literally emerging from the restaurant looking as if I'd just run a half marathon. Yes, I was a sweaty mess, but it was quite delicious. I'd been hankering to go back ever since, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. But would the second time bring beads of sweat anew? Pictures after the jump...
Things start off innocuously enough with the arrival of the appetizer, or as I like to call it, the HMS Spring Roll. IndianJones and I both admire the maritime whimsy of the dish.
Next come the entrées. This dry beef curry may look benign, but be warned: it's been prepared in the depths of HADES.
We also got rice and a delicious curry with winter melon.
The restaurant served us these chilled vegetables to sooth our soon-to-be burning mouths. It was like using a water gun to take out a forest fire.
Food is served. I'm ready to dig in.
The first wave of spice hits. It's intense.
About five minutes into the meal, a film appears on my forehead. IndianJones happily notes "You're beading. Hahaha."
Aaaaand we have sweat. Note the drop on my cheek and my nape.
I'm dying. And we didn't even get the food as spicy as last time. We only ordered medium!
The camera doesn't really capture the extent to which I'm sweating, but you'll just have to trust that it's gross. But the food was great! I'll go back and sweat there anytime.
Lesson learned: tolerance to spice does not grow stronger over time. For those interested in trying Jitlada yourself, check out the Yelp page here.
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I don't understand...fancy boat for the spring rolls, classy square dish for beef, but the rice comes in plastic with plastic utensils?
next time order papaya salad it helps to calm the heat down. my friend lives in thailand and when i went to visit her. she taught me this secret. it really does help.
chewing on the raw cabbage/greens often tame the heat. next time, try the kaeng curries and some of the tumeric based fried items.
btw, please let me know if you'd be interested in joining some bloggers for a VERY deep end tasting of Jitlada's new 120+ item menu? later this April?
thanks!