You must try pumpkin red curry at Thai Bistro in Mill Creek

I went to Thai Bistro for the pumpkin curry, after I heard a glowing review of its culinary charms.

I love pumpkin, I love curry and I love Thai food. How could I resist? I was there within a day of hearing about it.

I ordered the curry without a second thought, but my husband spent much, much longer perusing the menu. Thai Bistro is a cozy little spot in Mill Creek. It’s easy to linger over the menu.

While he examined the menu, my husband enjoyed a drink called the Raspberry Phuket Island ($8.75). The drink consisted of gin, rum, vodka, tequila, triple sec and raspberry puree.

I have no idea why he ordered it. It sounds rather intimidating, doesn’t it? However, it was fabulously drinkable. It was one of those dangerous drinks that doesn’t taste as strong as it is.

I ordered the fascinating Tom Yum martini ($8.75), which included rum, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, ginger and a chili garnish. The drink was surprisingly spicy. I loved it. My husband, however, wasn’t impressed. It’s probably not for everyone. I thought it was unusual and a fantastic pairing with the Thai food.

For an appetizer, we ordered one of our favorites, the do-it-yourself wraps ($10.95). In these wraps, you wrap up dried shrimp, ginger, coconut, peanuts and lime slices in lettuce leaves with sauce. Usually I’ve seen this served with spinach leaves, and I prefer it that way, although these were good as well. And fun.

We also had Tom Zapp ($10.95), an intensely flavored soup with beef, chili, shallot, galangal root, lemongrass, basil and tamarind juice. We asked for three stars, and it was quite hot. Even my steel-tongued husband admitted it was spicy.

We ate it slowly, however, and enjoyed it. While the spice was intense, it didn’t overpower the soup. Interestingly, we had some of this soup left over, and the heat had mellowed by the next day.

For dinner I ordered, of course, the pumpkin red curry ($13.95). This was, as promised, the star of the meal. I ordered it with chicken. (As in most Thai restaurants, you can choose what protein you want with most dishes. Seafood and tofu also are available.)

The chicken was tender and soaked up the flavor of the curry. The dish was rich and luscious. The pumpkin was almost silky smooth, but not at all mushy. I ordered brown rice with it, and it was perfect.

My husband ordered the Prig Khing ($10.95), a nice mix of green beans and beef. The rich savory sauce was tasty and the green beans were perfectly cooked. In this case, 3 stars was the perfect amount of heat.

We really enjoyed our meal at Thai Bistro. The service was friendly, occasionally a bit too attentive, but not enough to be off-putting.

While it is a cozy place to eat it, I’m sure the food would make great take out.

And really, believe me on the pumpkin curry.

Thai Bisto

1018 164th St., Mill Creek; 425-787-9707; www.thaibistro.us.

Specialty: Thai.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Alcohol: Full bar.

Vegetarian options: Many.