Around The World in Seven Days, Part I: A Week in Astoria

My companion and I haven't lived in Astoria for very long, but we've already eaten our way around the globe! Here are some preliminary impressions, organized by country. (Of course, our journey is not over; there are many countries left to visit!)

1. Afghanistan: Balkh Shish Kabab House. The fried scallion turnovers (bolanee gandana) at Balkh will neutralize any craving for those leaden scallion pancakes found at Chinese restaurants. But my companion was disappointed in the tough lamb kebab; the salmon was much better. The rice was nondescript but the basket of thick, dense bread was satisfying. (23-10 31st St., 718-721-5020.)

2. Colombia: Botero's Cafe. The walls of this small cafe are decorated with prints of the painter's famous Rubenesque muses. After spending a little time here, I might become a muse myself. Arepas, or grilled corn pancakes, are served with melted tropical cheese, or avocados and shrimp, or "ahogado" (drowned in sauce), and the tostones are perfectly fried. (45-01 Ditmars Blvd., I can't find the number!)

3. Greece: Taverna Kyclades (also, see Elias Corner). An appetizer at Kyclades is enough for around 47 people (I'm exaggerating, but you get the drift). The fried calamari, the skordalia, and the grilled salmon steak are enough to send me over the moon, and I think I've never eaten better fried fish. (33-07 Ditmars Blvd., 718-545-8666.)

4. Italy: Michael Angelo's II Pizzeria & Restaurant (also, see Trattoria L'Incontro). I like my pizza with a thin crust, so someone recommended that I order the "Sofia Loren" pie. It was loaded with pools of melted fresh mozzarella and sliced fresh tomatoes, I only wish I'd eaten it in-house instead of having it delivered, because I think the crisp crust got a little steamed inside the pizza box. (29-11 23rd Ave., 718-932-2096).

5. Japan: Linn Restaurant. What a pleasant surprise: sparkling sushi on Broadway! It's certainly not cheap, but if you're craving Alaskan salmon roe, Japanese striped yellowtail, or even something like a fried oyster roll with wasabi mayo, you've got it all right here. A wall has been erected inside to obscure the C-Town across the street and to show Japanese movies. (29-13 Broadway, 718-204-0060.)

6. Morocco (well, Moroccan-influenced): Cafe Soleil. Every neighborhood should have one of these cozy hangouts with mismatched chairs and free Wi-Fi. Authentic Moroccan mint tea is served from beautiful silver teapots, and did I detect a bit of harissa in the potato pancake that came with my "classic French" omelette? (37-14 Astoria Blvd., 718-777-1015.)

7. Thailand: WAVEThai. I'm not going to enter the fray that is the apparent rivalry between WAVEThai and Thai Elephant, but suffice it to say that WAVEThai's "street noodles" (pad see ew) are addictive. You can order them with chicken or veggie chicken, beef, roast duck or veggie duck, squid, shrimp, tofu, scallop, or mixed seafood. The vegetarian duck's texture is meaty, chewy and substantial instead of thin and flimsy. Curries are nice and spicy. (21-37 31st St., 718-777-6789.)

Pam Real Thai Food

It was about 20 degrees last night; I was starving, but didn't want to walk another block in the cold. Since I happened to be right around the corner from Pam Real Thai Food, I walked in.

A sign announced "cash only." I had $17 in my wallet, so I strategized about how I could enjoy soup, an appetizer and dinner and still have enough money left over to leave a good tip. I ended up with steamed chive dumplings, tom yum koong and vegetable green curry (vegetarian main courses were only $5.95). The menu included more exotic offerings like anchovy rice, fried baby mackerels, kaeng tai pla (a spicy dish with lime leaves and fermented fish kidney), and a salad of ground pork with lime and fried chilis.

My tom yum koong soup was tangy and pungent with lots of lemongrass, cilantro and hot chili. It contained two plump shrimp and a bunch of halved white mushrooms. The bowl was small but the flavors were big. Three chewy pouches stuffed with chives were next, accompanied by a sweet soy-based sauce. I think I might have preferred the dumplings fried, but I was trying to be healthy for once!

Next came a plate of jasmine rice and the vegetable curry. Unfortunately, this dish was not very filling, and I looked on with envy at the large plates of noodles that other tables had ordered. My curry consisted of three small steamed cubes of tofu, some shredded bamboo shoots and a few sprigs of greens in a mild, coconutty broth. Tasty, but next time I'm going to order a deep-fried whole fish or crispy duck.

I have a feeling that if I lived in Midtown West, I'd be ordering in from Pam Real all the time, because there are a lot of things I'd like to try, and the food is good and inexpensive.

Pam Real Thai Food: 404 West 49th, (212) 333-7500.

Prem-On Thai and Sweet Melissa

It's never been a better time to be hungry on Houston Street, with the amazing lunch special at Prem-On Thai and the goodies at the nearby Sweet Melissa. (How did this branch of the Brooklyn bakery manage to escape my purview?)

I'd intended to lunch at the Le Pain Quotidien on West 8th, but every seat was taken by NYU. So, I walked over to Ushiwakamaru to see if they were open, but apparently they only serve dinner. Prem-On Thai next door, with its chic marble tables full of satisfied-seeming people, beckoned to me.

I was happy to see that Prem-On's lunch includes both an appetizer and an entree. For $7, I got two crunchy vermicelli-bean spring rolls and a delicious tofu curry with crispy and soft noodles. The egg noodles were a hidden treasure underneath the tofu, and all was smothered in a creamy coconut-turmeric sauce. Pickled greens and red onions provided a nice touch of sour and spice.

Although I toyed with the idea of ordering a trio of Thai creme brulee (lotus seed, Thai tea and ginger), I decided to be virtuous. That cause was lost the second I laid eyes on Sweet Melissa. What should I have, I wondered, and then came the more deviant thought: what shouldn't I have. I left with a Valrhona brownie, a Key lime tart decorated with sliced kiwi, one of the chocolate souffle cakes I remembered with such fondness from the Brooklyn store, a citrus chevre cheesecake and a dense chocolate peanut butter treat. So much for "no dessert!"

Prem-On Thai: 138 West Houston St., (212) 353-2338. Sweet Melissa (Manhattan): 75 West Houston St., (347) 594-2541.

Thai Pot - Forest Hills Gets Spicy (Finally!)

It might not be Sripraphai, but the new Thai Pot on Queens Boulevard knows how to serve up some spice! The kitchen turns up the heat with long chilies, fire-roasted red chili paste and chili oil. Tonight, a catfish special was full of chili seeds (just the way I like it). So if you don't feel like going to Woodside, yet you want something more piquant than a pierogi, I suggest you head over to Thai Pot!

Thai Pot: 103-07 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills, (718) 897-3898.

Chaa Chaa

I never tire of chocolate ice cream. However, on those rare occasions when I venture beyond chocolate territory, I search out the exotic. Yesterday I went to Chaa Chaa, a small Thai cafe/bakery/ice cream shop which offers a truly unique selection of homemade ice cream flavors, such as black sticky rice, coconut black bean, jasmine palm, lychee and durian. (Yes, you read that correctly. The unlikely fruit seems to be taking Manhattan by storm, making appearances in the cream pie at 5 Ninth and the ice cream at Spice Market!) For those of you who prefer more conventional ice cream, there's also strawberry, pistachio and double dutch chocolate.

Chaa Chaa serves a three-course lunch special for $7, which includes a summer roll (basically a salad tightly wrapped into a thin rice flour tortilla), a choice of chicken or beef curry with rice, and ice cream. Who can resist a lunch special that includes ice cream!

Chaa Chaa: 244 E. 13th St., (212) 529-8770.

Thai Tea Time (Closed as of 3/1/03)

The restaurant god has not yet blessed Kensington. (For those of you unfamiliar with the outer boroughs, Kensington is a small neighborhood in Brooklyn that abuts Windsor Terrace.) Church Avenue, the main drag, is a row of groceries with week-old produce.

But if you venture onto McDonald Avenue, you will find a small storefront that is serving up the best food in the neighborhood! Thai Tea Time is owned by Patrick, a Laotian with family in Thailand, and Lynn, a denizen of Kensington. Together they will educate you on the origin of bubble tea (Thailand exported tapioca to Taiwan) while serving it up in such exotic flavors as lychee, passionfruit and kumquat. There are Thai honeydew milkshakes and iced coffee drinks made with sweetened condensed milk.

If you need something more substantial than a beverage, try the cilantro-laden tom yum, a spicy lemongrass soup with your choice of chicken or shrimp. If you like pad thai, you will find plenty of tasty crushed peanuts in Thai Tea Time's version. My pad see-ew was a huge mound of wide rice noodles sautéed with egg, gailan (baby Chinese broccoli) and lots of shrimp. Patrick warned me that gailan was spicy. "Bring on the spice," I urged, and he obliged by presenting me with some whole green chilies to munch on.

While I enjoyed the warm banana custard topped with coconut, I noticed that there was a small selection of Thai groceries available, including grass jelly, do-it-yourself Thai tea powder, and pickled eggplant. But I think I will leave my Thai cooking to the experts.

Thai Tea Time: 359 McDonald Ave., Brooklyn. (718) 436-5344. Delivery available.