A one-note one star

I haven't had a chance to catch up with my friendly neighborhood prime broker in a long, long time, and they figured it was time to meet up. I'm a pretty easy going guy, and quite happy when lunch was booked at Aaharn. I was reasonably happy with my one and only visit there for lunch, and had been meaning to return for dinner one day. A second nibble at lunch seemed like a great idea.

They only offer a set lunch these days, so that's what we had to share:

Pineapple with popcorn chicken and chilli paste - same as before.

Betel leaf with pork and prawn salad with som saa citrus - this was kinda spicy.

Crunchy rice cakes with relish of coconut simmered with yellow bean - deep-fried rice crispies is always a good idea.

Pretty tasty.

Roasted duck, shiitake mushroom and young coconut soup - this was very comforting and I did like the duck flavors in the soup, but we've got betel leaves yet again...

Chiang Mai chilli relish served with Thai vegetables - this was pretty spicy.

Grilled chicken salad with yellow aubergine - aaaaand here are betel leaves again.

Turmeric curry of prawn with betel leaves - oh yes, MORE betel leaves, and this time the flavors were very strong. The curry was sweet and creamy, and great with steamed rice.

Stir-fried young Thai greens - the shrooms were pretty tasty.

Mango with sticky rice / steamed rice dumpling with coconut and palm sugar - OK la...

There was nothing that failed with this lunch, but as an Arrogant Prick with a jaded palate, I just felt the meal wasn't all that interesting. When you use the same herb in 4 of the dishes, those dishes are bound to taste a little similar... and people won't want to pay good money for this kind of meal. I'm now less inclined to come back for dinner after this performance...