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Cee Fine Thai Dining Is a World Apart
Cee's menu features several entree-size noodle soups, including one with roast duck, greens and thin noodles.
(Marvin Joseph/twp - The Washington Post)
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On the other hand, the spicy green-papaya salad was a bit tame, as was the chicken larb (chicken with lime juice, red onion, cilantro and chilies), though both were tasty.
The Cee crispy roll (rice paper stuffed with bean thread noodles, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and cabbage) was properly crisp on the outside but mushy on the inside, as if the stuffing had been overcooked before being wrapped in the rice paper.
The spiciness of the entrees I tasted was more in line with what I have come to expect. Chicken kra proa was pleasantly spiced with a surprisingly flavorful sauce. An order of Lobster Two Seasons, one of the more luxurious dishes on the menu, included two perfectly cooked lobster tails (in the shell but with the shell split so there was no fighting to extricate the tender meat). One of the tails was cooked in a mild garlic sauce that didn't add much. The other tail was cooked in a more pungent chili paste sauce that was a better marriage with the sweet lobster meat.
On a separate menu (a laminated page), several entree-size noodle soups are listed. One featuring succulent roast duck, barely wilted Chinese greens, thin noodles and duck broth was among the best dishes I sampled. The soup, perhaps a distant relative of the more familiar Vietnamese pho, was much richer and more satisfying, with a fresh taste. Served in a large oval bowl, the noodle soup was as intense as a French pot au feu.
Juntrakul's menu features several Thai specialty desserts, including custards and unusual gelatins. The old standbys, fried bananas and sticky rice with mango, were excellent preparations. The bananas were coated in a tempura batter, deep-fried, drizzled with honey and served with coconut ice cream. The sticky rice was not too sweet and was a great foil for the just-ripe mangoes.
Cee Fine Thai Dining, 9901 Fairfax Blvd., Fairfax, 703-293-9898. Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Friday; noon-10:30 p.m. Saturday; noon-10 p.m. Sunday. Appetizers, $3.50-$12; main courses at lunch, $9-$27; main courses at dinner, $11-$27.http:/
If you have a favorite restaurant that you think deserves attention, please contact Nancy Lewis atlewisn@washpost.com.
