Jan 16., 2004
Thai a Blue Ribbon on This Place
We are very fortunate to have some sharp-eyed scouts constantly on the lookout for us, and one of our newest is Chris Elbert of Eastport. Just before Christmas she tipped us to a new Thai carryout she'd heard about in Bellaire, and one day in early January we checked it out. Believe us, we'd never have found it on our own, but having done so, we're glad we did.

The place, we found, is called Indo China Express, and it's secreted away in the rear of a building at the north end of the strip malls along M-88 south of town. Absent the hand-lettered sign on the back door, we'd have thought we were entering the rear of the Farm Bureau Insurance agency in the front of the building.

Inside we found ourselves in a makeshift cubicle, perhaps five feet wide and 10 deep, being greeted by a cheerful young lady in a red sweater who was standing behind a tiny take-out counter. We swiftly realized this was the entire public area. All else, save for a rice steamer, was inscrutably hidden from view, but the aromas wafting over the cubicle walls assured us we were in the right place.

That evening at home, after polishing off an order of shrimp gang ped curry from the Thai side of the take-out menu, and sesame chicken from the Chinese side, we were thankful for another good tip from a worthy scout.

Indo China Express opened in early December and may be new to Bellaire, but it has a Michigan pedigree that runs somewhat deeper. Owners-operators Meng and Kia Song are kin to Chu Song, whose Indo China Gardens has been in business for 13 years on the south side of Sault Ste. Marie. The young lady who served us is Meng's sister, and she helped us negotiate the menu's wide array of pad, Thai and Chinese dishes curries and stir-frys. Aside from strictly vegetarian items, most dishes are offered with chicken, shrimp, beef or pork, and all carryout meals include rice and a generous serving of egg-drop soup.

Sesame chicken, the young lady said, is the most popular Chinese dish, so we quickly drew a bead on that and put aside thoughts of the cashew chicken we'd been considering. The mere mention of curry had us hooked, too, so we ordered a Thai red curry with shrimp, green pepper, mushrooms, water chestnuts and pea pods.

The curry was described as "HOT" in capital letters on the menu, and our raised eyebrow led our mentor to assure us we could have it with "mild" or "medium" sauce if we preferred. The mere mention of grades of heat sent our minds back to a "medium" curry we ordered in an Indian restaurant in Cincinnati that nearly landed us in the burns unit. But, since this was Bellaire, we risked "medium" again, and as it turned out all we needed was a little first aid. The curry was hot, all right, but the generous supply of white rice kept the blaze fairly well under control. Still, heat tolerance varies, and if you are tender-tongued, stick to "mild."

The egg-drop soup was wonderfully mellow, with a touch of sweetness which carried over to the sweet-sour sauce on the crisp, golden, chunks of tender, deep-fried, sesame-crusted chicken.

The best part of all this was the price. Almost everything on the menu is $5.25 at lunch ($5.75 with shrimp) and in the $8-10 range for dinner-size portions. Our two lunch-size meals, including rice, soup and a pair of 35-cent almond cookies, went home with us for less than $14. The amazing part is that we were amply fed. With dinner portions, we might have been able to feed the whole neighborhood.

The "official" address of Indo China Express is 634 Willow Drive, but it may help you to know that the building and sign it shares with the insurance office face the west side of M-88) just south of the elbow bend near Prevo's. From there just follow your nose to the back door.

Neither of us has ever lived in close proximity to Asian food, and we seldom prepare it at home, so we may be ill-equipped to judge it with any pretense of true expertise. But if gut response means anything, this is not only good value, it's good food.

DATA: Indo China Express, 634 Willow Dr., Bellaire; 231-533-4300. Carry-out only. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.