thai fish cakes

Dining at our favorite Thai restaurant is always a treat. We've been frequenting this authentic restaurant since it opened for business more than a year ago. We used to go to an older and more established Thai place, but trying out this new one just proved which is better and we never went back to the other one.

We had a rather nice food-related experience at this restaurant. We were thinking about ordering desserts one time, and I casually asked the young lady server if they have sweet mangoes with sticky rice & coconut milk ( a traditional Thai dessert ) in their menu. Our very nice Thai lady server volunteered to make it for me from some mangoes she personally ordered from the owner. I couldn't say no to her offer, unaware that my husband wasn't so thrilled with the idea. He said the mango dessert wasn't really in the menu and he felt it wasn't right to impose. I must admit she was extra nice for going out of her way to make the dessert especially for me. I was apologetic when she came back but it was the best mango & sticky rice I've had in a long time. Of course there was the time when I went to Thailand with my cousins, but this is another story. Anyway, my husband made sure he doubled her tip ( with some extra for the cost of the mango ) for all her trouble and for her exceptional service. She recognizes us now so every time we would go back and as soon as I enter the restaurant, she would always remember to mention my favorite Thai dessert.

We tend to order a few standard appetizers like spring rolls and chicken satay but I must admit, these Thai fish cakes are something different and I never had anything like this before. Checking out one of the foodblogs in my list of favorites, Appon's Thai Food, I was so delighted to find the recipe for these particular fish cakes on her site. I used the easy & convenient frozen tilapia fillets for the fish ingredient. I made the dip or sauce like how they do it at the restaurant, using sweet chili sauce mixed with a little bit of the spicy kind ( just a personal preference ) and some additional sliced fresh tomatoes and sliced cucumbers. The tomatoes and cucumbers definitely add some texture and makes the dip more colorful and interesting. It has been awhile since we ate there, but we promised to take my cousin there when she returns. In the meantime, I can just look forward to our next Thai food treat.