Bangkok Five
Authentic Thai Cuisine

Owners Lucky and Jan Teachanarong with their daughter and son Lisa and Kevin invite you to enjoy the family atmosphere and traditional food at Bangkok Five.

Pure and simple. Those two words capture the essence of Bangkok Five’s stunning ambiance and world-renowned cuisine. Publications from The Desert Sun to the New York Post have sung the restaurant’s praises, citing its brilliant use of spices such as tamarind, garlic, cilantro, and chile that provide layers of sensual appreciation to otherwise straightforward meats and vegetables.

While the spices tickle your taste buds, Bangkok Five’s crisp and contemporary décor offers up a clean palette for your other senses. Almost as if by magic, when the sun goes down, Bangkok Five comes alive with diffused ambient lighting gently washing over terra-cotta pottery perched against crisp white walls. The effect is a quiet sanctuary of serene elegance.

The restaurant’s distinctive architecture and interiors are by noted Los Angeles designer Kerry Joyce, selected for six years’ running by House Beautiful as a Design Star. The signature look he created is what Metropolitan Home Magazine calls “a juxtaposition of elegance and restraint that still feels inviting and casual.”

Most importantly, Bangkok Five is a family affair. Owners Lucky and Jan Teachanarong are justifiably proud of their legions of “wonderful customers” who have become friends after frequenting the restaurant since the doors first opened in their original location 17 years ago. The Teachanarong children grew up in the business and are as familiar to many longtime patrons as their own children or grandchildren.

The faithful come for consistently authentic Thai recipes cooked to order with fresh aromatics and flavors of lime, coconut, lemongrass, and ginger. But, it’s the warm hospitality from the same servers who have been on board since day one that makes this dining experience more than just a gourmet meal. This year, for the third time, customers supported Lucky and Jan’s efforts to raise money for a needy public school in Thailand by donating $80,000!

The restaurant features a full bar, outdoor atrium and chic indoor dining spaces. Dinner is served seasonally from 5:30 p.m. until closing. Reservations are suggested. Bangkok Five’s popular catering service brings their kitchen to your kitchen to create Thai masterpieces on site.

SHOWN ABOVE: A few of the succulent entrées created at Bangkok Five, clockwise from the bottom — Goong Op, Giant Fresh Water Prawns with Bacon Chili Paste, Ped Op, Crispy Marinated Duck, served with their homemade sauce Pla Duk, Crispy Whole Fresh Catfish (raised locally in Coachella) with Spicy Chili Sauce. All are served with rice and shaved carrots. The latter two entrées are spicy; you are requested to let your server know your tolerance of heat on a scale of one to ten. The suggested wine is Frog’s Leap 1994 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc.

“Bangkok Five is one of the most highly recommended restaurants in the desert.”

MENU HIGHLIGHTS

APPETIZERS
Mee Krob, crispy rice noodles with chicken and shrimp
Thai Pot Sticker, dumplings with mixed ground shrimp, chicken, and vegetables
Bangkok Mussels, fresh from New Zealand in cilantro sauce

FIRST COURSES
Tom Kha Kai, chicken coconut soup with lemongrass
Yum Neua, salad with marinated grilled beef and crisp vegetables in spicy lime dressing

ENTRÉES
Panang Moo, pork sautéed in panang curry sauce
Pad Thai, traditional Thai noodle dish with chicken and shrimp
Garee Goong, jumbo black tiger shrimp in yellow curry sauce
Ped Op, crispy marinated duck with special house sauce

DESSERTS
Fried Banana
Coconut Ice Cream

BEST OF THE CELLAR

RED WINES
Stag’s Leap, Cabernet Sauvignon
Rutherford, Merlot

WHITE WINES
Taittinger, Prestige Rosé Brut
Frog’s Leap, Sauvignon Blanc
Cakebread Cellars, Chardonnay

SPECIALTY DRINKS
Mai Thai
Thai One On Manhattan
Luen Luen Martini

BANGKOK FIVE
70-026 HIGHWAY 111
RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA 92270
(760) 770-9508

More Information - Websites, Maps and Directions

BY GAYL BIONDI
PHOTOGRAPHY: ARTHUR COLEMAN / ASSISTANT: TEGAN BROWN
FOOD STYLIST: ROLAND BIERI