Zangna Thai is the real deal

The Bangkok Mango chef special at Zangna Thai Cuisine features shrimp and scallops simmered in a red curry sauce with fresh mango, bell peppers, basil and choice of rice.
The Bangkok Mango chef special at Zangna Thai Cuisine features shrimp and scallops simmered in a red curry sauce with fresh mango, bell peppers, basil and choice of rice.

Visitors wanting to know if Zangna Thai Cuisine, in the Shackleford Crossings shopping center, is authentic need only look at the entrance floor where a tray -- featuring tiny sprinkled doughnuts or perhaps cookies and tea -- is set.

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Zangna Thai Cuisine’s Pahd Thai — stir-fried noodles, egg, green onions, bean sprouts and peanuts — can include tofu (as pictured in this lunch portion), chicken, pork, beef or shrimp.

That's not dessert.

Zangna Thai

Cuisine

Address: Shackleford Crossings shopping center, 2604 S. Shackleford Road, Suite D, Little Rock

Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday

Cuisine: Thai

Credit cards: D, MC, V

Alcoholic beverages: Beer/wine permit pending

Reservations: Large parties

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Carryout: Yes

(501) 227-7785

tinyurl.com/prf9vou

That's an offering. Note the seated Buddha statue on a shelf above the counter area in the modern shotgun-style space, with a trendy purple glow, funky light fixtures and flat-screen TVs accenting the dining room of metal cushioned chairs and banquette seating lining one wall.

As reported earlier this month in Eric E. Harrison's Transitions column, the full-service restaurant is not a franchise; Tammy Kanjanakaset, who runs the establishment with her sister, recently moved to Little Rock from California. That it is family-owned separates it from the shopping center's big chain tenants, including Cracker Barrel, Cope­land's of New Orleans and Texas Roadhouse.

Until a beer/wine permit comes through, soft drinks, coffee and tea -- with varieties like homemade Thai Tea and homemade Thai Iced Coffee (both $3) -- are the only beverages.

We had to wait a few minutes before being seated our first visit on a recent busy Friday. We were glad to do so, even if the restaurant was rather stuffy on the hot summer night. If we had concerns that customers craving Asian food might immediately bypass Zangna for the suitable all-you-can-eat Panda Garden buffet place next door, the wait indicated people are willing to check out the more subdued, more special Zangna, where the distinctive cuisine is prettily plated and rather generously portioned.

We recommend ordering an appetizer, as food -- served by a friendly staff -- can take awhile to arrive at peak times. We were particularly fond of the Chicken Satay ($8), four skewers of grilled chicken, served with a peanut sauce and a cucumber salad. Or maybe it's that we were really fond of the the addictive peanut sauce; it was also our favorite part of the cool, crunchy Fresh Rolls ($7, $1.50 more for the worthy shrimp upgrade), featuring lettuce, shredded carrots, spinach, cilantro and basil bundled in a rice paper wrap. An order of eight steamed chicken Pot Stickers ($7; deep-fried and vegetable are other options), served with a soy-based dipping sauce, were tasty; the too-perfect dumplings, however, appeared to be prefab.

Our three visits were timed with central Arkansas' heat wave, and we just couldn't bring ourselves to order any of Zangna's soups ($10-$12.99), including Tom Kah Kai (creamy coconut milk with chicken and vegetables), Tom Yum Goong (hot and sour soup with shrimp and vegetables), Won Ton and Beef Noodle. But we look forward to slurping those -- especially the first two, marked on the menu with a chili pepper -- on chilly fall nights.

For dinner, Zangna features chef's specials ($15.99-$17.99); fish/seafood dishes ($13.99-$17.99); and entrees, curries, noodles and rice with choice of chicken, pork, tofu, beef or shrimp ($11-$14.99). Except for noodle and rice dishes, meals come with choice of white or brown rice. From 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday, some 16 of those dishes are available as lunch portions ($9.99-$10.99).

We felt downright passionate about the Panang Curry with chicken ($12.99), which we ordered with basil (we craved it and didn't see it in the dish description). The zippy dish, with pieces of chicken in coconut milk with panang curry, kaffir lime leaves, bell peppers, spinach and the added basil, ordered with white rice, was nothing short of divine. That there was an ample amount meant a carryout box and continued glee.

The Bangkok Mango ($17.99) chef special was special indeed. The plump shrimp and scallops in a lively red curry sauce, bell peppers and basil and juicy chunks of fresh mango combined for a marvelous match and an appealing presentation.

A carryout order of Pineapple Fried Rice ($14), packaged and ready when we arrived, was a wealth of stir-fried rice with egg, pineapple, cashews and raisins, topped with two tempura shrimp that offered a similar sweet-savory synthesis.

A carryout Drunken Noodles with beef ($13.99) was a hearty helping of mainly flat rice-noodle ribbons with bits of sliced beef, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and basil. While ground chili was a listed ingredient and the menu item was marked as spicy, it was not particularly hot (we perked it up with some sriracha at home). Zangna's food, while consistently flavorful, is not overly fiery.

One lunch dish that didn't exactly delight: the lunch portion of Pahd Thai with tofu ($9.99) that a friend called "a little less than exciting. The noodles were a tad gummy. And the sauce had a good flavor, but wasn't enhanced by much else. There were a few peanuts sprinkled on top, and a sprig or two of cilantro, but more lime and a little heat might have been nice."

But my lunch Pahd Eggplant with pork ($9.99), a nicely spiced mix of eggplant, sliced pork, jalapenos, bell peppers and basil, was, with the exception of two stubborn eggplant chunks, perfect.

We did not have room for the locally made coconut ice cream ($3.99). And we, who cower from rice pudding, are pretty sure we'll never have the room for Mango & Sticky Rice ($5.99) with coconut steamed rice and fresh mangoes. Those are Zangna's only desserts.

Never you mind those sprinkled doughnuts and cookies on the floor.

Weekend on 08/27/2015

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