Please don't throw up....please don't throw up...I'd been both looking forward to and dreading my dinner at Sticky Rice Thai Restaurant all day. The Northern Thai menu was not exactly your typical Pad Thai noodles. At the same time, "Deep fried bamboo caterpillars worm" and "Thai omelets with ant eggs served with chili sauce" sound more like something out of Fear Factor than something I'd chow down on for pleasure.
Still, I knew I was going to try it, especially with the sign at the entrance taunting me. Yes, fried worms are indeed here.
As you can see, the worms aren't exactly hidden. It's a plate of, well, worms. After some hesitation, I picked one up. They were surprisingly light in weight, as the worms were hollow inside. Not sure if this is standard preparation, as the server answered "yes, nothing inside. Just worms". OK.They had a texture and taste almost like potato chips. Quite salty, and crunchy. The salt overwhelmed any other flavors, which might or might not have been intentional. I couldn't much "taste the worm". They weren't so bad and I snacked on them throughout the meal. It wasn't even Slimey. And no, I didn't throw up.
Next on the Fear Factor food tour of Northern Thailand was the omelet with ant eggs.
On first look and taste, it appears to be a normal omelet. (It bears clarifying that the omelet itself was made of regular eggs, with ant eggs inside.) Separating a few of the small pearly white ant eggs and eating them alone, the flavor is slightly bitter and very mild. I'm not sure how much effort it takes to acquire and prepare ant eggs, but it didn't seem to add very much to the dish.
Since I ate with a group, I should mention that some of the more "normal" dishes I sampled were very tasty as well. The mango chicken was especially tasty.
As you can see from the menu, a meal at Sticky Rice is quite inexpensive. The variety offered is quite impressive and there is truly something for everyone, including the old standby Pad Thai Noodles.
Location: 4018 N. Western Ave. (near corner of Irving Park), Chicago
CTA: #49 Western bus to Irving Park or #80 Irving Park bus to Western; can access either bus line from several Brown or Red line stops.
Hours: Monday - Thursday, 11:30 am - 11:00 pm; Friday - Saturday, 11:30 AM - midnight; Sunday, noon - 10:00 PM
Cost: Most entrees under $10.
Reservations: Doesn't appear to be necessary.
2 comments:
When I was in Chiang Mai, in Northern Thialand, I ate ant eggs. Unknowingly. Granted, I wasn't completely thrilled with my dad for telling me AFTER THE FACT, but honestly, it wasn't bad. Wouldn't do it again, but at least I can say I've done it once.
we've passed by this place a number of times, and i have always tucked it into the back of my mind as a place that i want to try, and now i know that this is a place that i "must" try.
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