Narai Asian Cuisine

Where: 320 Fourth Ave. E, Olympia, 360.754.1332

Hours: Open Daily except Monday. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday-Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, noon-8 p.m. Sunday

Cuisine: Asian with heavy focus on Thai

Scene: Very casual, kids welcome

Drinkies: Beer and wine, Thai tea and coffee, soda

Prices: $2-$13.95

ANNOUNCER: Olympia has Thai places like Philadelphia has Philly sandwich joints - and not all Thai places in the state capital are created equal. Some are geared toward speed, price and a bustling takeout business, some toward overall dining experience with aims at being high-end. Still others focus squarely on food quality - décor and ambiance be damned. Narai Asian Cuisine, the newest contender, falls right in the middle - having opened recently in the location that previously held Spicy Ginger restaurant on Fourth Avenue.

JAKE: To be fair, we ended up at Narai by mistake. We meant to go to Angel Thai next door, but the grand opening sign in front of Narai snared us. Though not a fancy place, it was clean and the staff ultra nice and prompt. And it smelled delectable.

JASON: At $2 a pop, humongous fresh spring rolls, goi cuon, were a great, healthy deal for an appetizer. They aren't listed on the menu, but ask and ye shall receive.  The outer wrapper was soft, chicken inside tender. Julienned veggies had a nice snap, and all were moist, which seems to indicate that they hadn't been laying around re-cut for any real length of time. Bonus. Lemon grass chicken satay came three skewers to an order, an odd number to share. Both appetizers came with warm peanut dipping sauce - goi cuon with sweet chili sauce and satay with a favorite of mine in the sweet and tangy cucumber side salad. Don't be fooled, it's not a leaf lettuce salad; it's cucumber, red onion and red pepper cut into little squares swimming in a sugary tart bath. And I love it. Besides these two items, the rest of the starters were deep-fried. Bletch.

JAKE: I'm with you. I have nothing against cheese Rangoon, fish cakes or cream cheese, celery, onion, pepper stuffed deep-fried wontons either, but it is nice to have options that don't involve boiling oil. The thick peanut sauce was on point - certainly not thin or close to peanut soup like at some places.

JASON: Moving on to entrees, I have a bone to pick regarding the duck. Man, was it fatty. My personal preference is for duck to get a little crisp, which makes the fat more appealing, and you can't get that if it's served in a bowl like soup. Otherwise, it's just jiggly, gross fat. It's a texture thing for me, but flavor wise? B+. Red curry was not overpowering; cherry tomatoes had a nice sweet hit, and basil is always welcome on my plate.  I should have ordered the brown rice though. Next time.

JAKE: You said "jiggly, gross fat." I think that's a direct quote from your wife. Hah! Next you'll be taking a Pilates class with her.

JASON: Hey, brother, have you seen my wife? She's smokin' hot. If I have to watch what I gorge myself on then so be it. Besides, Pilates is yoga's cousin, and I'm already hip to that.

JAKE: I always forget; yoga's not new to you. Something I know was new to us both was longan or dragon's eye, a fruit similar to sweet lychee. It's a highlighted ingredient in a green curry dish at Narai. The sweetness mingled well with red and green sliced bell peppers and bamboo. Eggplant chunks were minimal while zucchini and basil were plentiful. Good dish.

JASON: The yellow pineapple curry had potatoes in it. That just throws me - potatoes and rice too. That's some real starch on starch action. I had beef in mine, though chicken, pork, prawn and tofu were available, too. Taste was good but not awesome. I think the showstopper was the pineapple fried rice. Call me crazy, but I like nuts in my food, and the flavor array with the texture of cashews and cucumber was stellar. White onion, tomato and pineapple were stir-fried along with garlic sauce into rice with curry powder, cilantro, basil, and lime.

JAKE: Normally Jason is the dessert hound, but this place has pineapple, coconut and mango ice cream served in big goblets with fresh mint. Yes, please.