I have long been under the assumption that an empty restaurant is a bad restaurant, and unfortunately many restaurants that are hard to find, or hard to get to, sit empty. A place with no parking or down some dark alley is definitely not appealing right? If you are like me and you like to take a peek inside a place to see how crowded a restaurant is before you decide to dine there, you will be pleasantly surprised at my culinary find.
Well, in this case I am glad to say that my initial assumption was so wrong! At first glance Panvimarn looks quite small and hard to get to, with no visible parking. It literally sits right at the corner of Bellflower Blvd and Carson Ave. Lucky for me my girlfriend doesn’t have the same ideas about finding a suitable restaurant as I do, because she simply raved about this place when she invited me to lunch.
It turns out looks can be deceiving, as there is plenty of parking in the back and the “little hole in the wall” is actually quite roomy inside. A lovely dining room with a serene décor boasts vaulted ceilings and balcony seating.
The food, oh my, I haven’t even mentioned the food yet. Well, there is only one word for the food: delicious! We started with the Panvimarn Fish Cakes, a pure white tuna fish mixed with curry paste, chopped green beans, and thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves, served with an amazing sweet and sour cucumber sauce. The menu states that it was recommended by the chef, and he gives excellent advice.
Next we tasted the Papaya Salad, consisting of fresh green papaya, grilled tiger shrimp, crispy fish, green beans, and grape tomatoes, tossed in their own Thai lime-garlic dressing and served with baby romaine lettuce leaves. This was a nice combination of salty and tangy, very tasty.
Our entrée, called Golden Curry, was tender chicken breast meat, slow cooked in yellow curry coconut sauce, with potatoes and carrots. “Like grandma used to make” the menu boasts; if only my grandma was from Thailand. Did I mention the coconut drink? A refreshing coconut juice served in an actual coconut, with an umbrella no less. I felt swept away to an exotic locale…Simply enchanting.
My only complaint today was that the table was too small to hold all of our plates and we didn’t leave enough room for dessert. Heavy sigh!
Lastly, I must mention that the wait staff is friendly and congenial with a very handsome bus boy that even stopped by to chat, making this cougar very happy. Overall a very successful foodie experience and I look forward to a return visit. Bon Appetit!
Panvimarn Thai Cuisine
4101 Bellflower Blvd Ste C
Long Beach, CA 90808
(562) 425-2601