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JHANJAY 
Vegetarian Thai Cuisine

1718 North 45th Street
 Seattle, WA 98103

206.632.1484

www.jhanjay.com

Cash, Visa and MasterCard accepted

HOURS
Mon. - Fri., 11am – 10 pm
Sat. & Sun., 12 pm – 10 pm
 

February 2008

by A.V. Crofts

© Copyright 2007 ColorsNW Magazine

Jhanjay Vegetarian Thai
 

Wallingford Restaurant Takes Vegetarian Cuisine to New Heights

NANTA JAWPLIPHON WANTED THE INTERIOR OF her new restaurant, Jhanjay, to mirror the color scheme of traditional Buddhist temples in her native Thailand. Rich maroon walls offset honey-colored floors, and tawny teak-inspired furniture is bathed in warm yellow light from the hand-blown glass fixtures. With the open kitchen design as an altar and traditional Thai music providing a soothing soundtrack, Jawpliphon, a former art student, has adopted food as her medium and introduced Jhanjay as a temple for Thai culinary delights.

Specifically, vegetarian Thai culinary delights.

All of Jawpliphon’s dishes are pure vegetarian – not so much as a drop of fish or oyster sauce in any recipe – and draw on her Thai-Chinese heritage. “I wanted to create vegetarian recipes for people – recipes I learned from my mother,” she says, “I keep recipes in my head from memory and practice.”

Jawpliphon’s first memories of vegetarian cooking draw from her Buddhist background and a particular lunar holiday known as Gui Jie, or Feast of the Hungry Ghosts, observed by the Chinese diaspora throughout Southeast Asia (Thai-Chinese are estimated to make up 14 percent of the Thai population). It is believed that during this particular time of year, the ghosts of unfortunate individuals whose souls were not cared for after death re-enter the land of the living and cause mischief – or worse. Jawpliphon’s family observed the holiday by eating only vegetarian food for 10 days, which was thought to appease the hungry ghosts and demonstrate reverence for the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Kuan Yin, who as a merciful goddess is associated with vegetarianism.

The Thai term “Jhanjay” means “vegetarian dishes” in the Thai language, and Jawpliphon has designed a menu that draws on old family favorites and contemporary concoctions. “Sometimes people think that vegetarian food is boring,” says Jawpliphon, “but I believe you can make it creative.” You can say that again.

Jawpliphon’s creativity is clear early in the menu with Jhanjay’s appetizers. The Corn Patties ($6.95) are petite pillows of fresh corn kernels in batter, fried golden and as light as air. The Spicy Patties ($7.50) add kaffir lime leaves, green beans and red curry paste to great effect. Both orders are served with a delicious sweet chili dunking sauce. Jawpliphon’s Thai Vegetarian Rolls ($5.50) offer shredded carrots, basil, lettuce, vermicelli noodles, purple cabbage and tofu for a much more colorful and flavorful version than many I’ve encountered around Seattle. Each serving is accompanied by a dipping bowl of thick peanut sauce with a dash of sesame seeds on top. Diners who eat in the restaurant receive a complimentary pairing of pickled bite-sized radish and carrot cubes with freshly fried and salted peanuts, which make for a welcome nibble to quiet any hunger pangs.

Jhanjay offers a perfectly respectable Mango Salad ($7.95), which boasts generous sticks of green mango and ridged carrots, tossed among purple cabbage, purple onions, red pepper slices and a few leaves of torn basil and crushed peanuts for garnish. I ordered it at spice level two (of four possible) and it packed a happy punch.
The Woon Sen Soup (small $4 and large $7) is all about unmet potential. The translucent noodles were glistening and wonderful strands of goodness, but the vegetables were overcooked and the soup lacked taste. However, for a noodle dish that is sure to please, allow me to introduce Jhanjay Noodles ($7.95), a Jawpliphon family recipe. Think of the dish as a delicate Thai burrito. Bamboo shoots, mushrooms, tofu and water chestnuts are all thinly sliced and mixed with green peas and corn, then swaddled in wide noodle wraps. The delicious finger food tastes wonderful in the sweet and sour dipping sauce.

Another personal favorite is the Monk’s Noodles ($7.95), which I first sampled as a lunch special ($7.50 for the entrée and soup) and have now added to my permanent rotation. Jawpliphon starts with thick yakisoba noodles and wok-fries them with shiitake mushrooms, spinach, crisp green beans, zucchini and bean sprouts in a mild soy sauce. The dish celebrates fresh vegetables and the wonder of a well-prepared noodle.

Jawpliphon couldn’t call Jhanjay a Thai restaurant without curry and she highlights them all: from red to green and on to pineapple. The rich Yellow Curry ($7.95) won my heart immediately with its carrot coins, bell peppers, onions, potatoes, green peas, basil and best of all, no skimping on the tofu portions (diners can choose between fresh or fried, or substitute veggie meat substitute for an additional $1). The Panang Curry ($7.95) with bell peppers, bamboo shoots, creamy Japanese eggplant pieces and basil, is also a can’t-miss option.

However, the Jhanjay Specials section of the menu is the place to find a number of treasures. Mountains of Mushrooms ($12.95) (honestly, how could I resist the alliteration?) combines portobello, velvet shank, porcini and shiitake mushrooms stir-fried in special sauce – really more like gravy – that Jawpliphon coaxes from a mixture of garlic, vegetable stock and mushroom juices. My dining companion and I found the heat level perfect at spice level three. The Tangy Bean Curd ($11.95), made with sheets of tofu (sometimes referred to as “tofu skins”), is velvety on the tongue, and not at all the chewy soy product that often makes me steer well clear of this ingredient. These soft folded sheets sit atop pan-fried baby bok choy and swim in a gravy much like the mushroom dish (something to note if you aim for variety).

Finally, Jawpliphon hits the mark with her Eggplant in Black Bean Sauce ($9.95), which combines Japanese eggplant pan-fried with basil, tofu (as with any dish you can ask for either fresh or fried) and bell pepper chunks. The eggplant melts in your mouth. For the diner who wants rice with attitude, the Pineapple Fried Rice ($8.95) is a happy mélange of brown rice, pineapple chunks, raisins, cashews, tomatoes, snow peas and onions. Topped with cilantro and cucumber coins, this dish has it all: green crunch, salty nuts, sweet elements and hearty rice that pulls it all together.

Desserts are not an afterthought at Jhanjay, with Coconut Ice Cream ($3.50) served as one large snowball sprinkled with toasted coconut for a sublime texture pairing.
Jhanjay’s Black Sticky Rice ($2.75) dishes up sweet purple rice pudding with a dollop of rich coconut cream in the center for a contrast of color and flavor. It’s hard to share. I regret I haven’t had the chance yet to sample its I-Tem, ($5.95) a deep-fried vanilla ice cream drizzled with red wine raspberry sauce. One night when I arrived at Jhanjay to pick up my takeout order, I saw diners being served I-Tem and nearly pulled up a chair and asked for a third spoon!

Typical Thai drink offerings are sweet enough to double as dessert and the Thai Iced Coffee ($2.50) is no exception. Sweet enough to rot your teeth but still addictive, Jhanjay’s serving may not be the most potent Thai coffee I’ve had the pleasure to sip, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of. The Young Coconut Juice ($2.50) combines fresh coconut flesh shavings swimming in cold and clear coconut juice for a refreshing thirst quencher.

Jawpliphon first came to the Seattle area 11 years ago as a language student, attended the Seattle Art Academy and returned to Thailand, only to then move again to the United States to take classes in business. She sees the May 2007 opening of Jhanjay as the realization of a personal goal. “This is a part of my dream,” she says.

With a space that is both inviting and revealing (“I did an open kitchen so people can see what we cook and that we work together as a team”), Jawpliphon and her assistant chef have created a restaurant that attracts both grateful vegetarians and carnivores that are happy to revel in the bounty of thoughtful – and delicious – vegetarian cuisine. According to Jawpliphon, there are even diners who unknowingly choose Jhanjay before they realize it is a purely vegetarian establishment. “They try it and then they come back.”

Perhaps even a hungry ghost or two.