During World War II, Thailand formed an alliance with Japan and therefore was bombed by the allied powers.
The Thai historical novel "Si Phaendin" (Four Reigns) by Kukrit Pramoj, which touches on this period, describes the raids, the damage and the shelters constructed for protection.
You can see evidence of this today if you go to Naj restaurant in Bangkok. Naj opened in 2004 in a house that dates back 120 years. Through glass panels in the floor of the dining room, you can look down into what was once a bomb shelter. Today it has a much better use. It's a wine cellar.
But you may not want to order wine at Naj, because the restaurant has such interesting cocktails. Its tom yum tini made it into my Bangkok top 10 list. There's a lemon grass and lychee gin fizz (right) that is also worth consideration. And a tom kha tini made with vodka, coconut rum and galangal. And--the name is no surprise--a My Thai that combines rum, lime and pineapple juices and basil leaves.
The food at Naj is Thai, not fusion like the cocktails. Some say Naj has the best pomelo salad in town. It certainly was good, and it too went into my Bangkok best list.
Another specialty is pork spareribs in panang sauce (right). The ribs are cooked for hours until the meat is fork tender, and the sauce goes light on coconut milk. Both panang and massaman sauces at Naj are less sweet than their counterparts in the United States.
Another standout is prawns with cashews and minced chicken in a sweet sauce that combines tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar.
Sweet-sour garoupa (right) is almost like candy. But not everything is sugary. Naj does an excellent tom yum goong, the classic hot and sour shrimp soup with straw mushrooms, lime leaves and slivered lemon grass.
Four people who are willing to pay $100 (1,200 Thai baht) can have a platter of grilled seafood including crab, a whole fish, prawns and scallops in a spicy sour sauce, accompanied by four glasses of Chardonnay--whose Chardonnay the menu doesn't say.
The grill extravaganza is the last in a group of 23 recommended dishes, just part of a menu so long that almost every Thai dish you've ever heard of is on it.
Naj is named for its founder, Luckananaj Markawat, who trained the staff in cooking. It's her second restaurant, following Oam Thong, a smaller place that she opened off Sukhumvit Road in 1984.
With Naj, she stepped up to a grander, dressy place. The atmosphere is colonial, with burnished teak floors, a profusion of orchids and, along one wall, a row of golden pagodas. It's a pretty place that makes a nice escape from Bangkok crowds and traffic.
Naj Exquisite Thai Cuisine, 42 Convent Road, Silom, Bangkok 10500, Thailand. Tel: (662) 632-2811.
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