Golden Triangle

Summit of Whittier

“Straddling the top of the world, one foot in China, the other in Nepal…I was finally here, actually standing on the summit of Mount Everest. And I just couldn’t summon the energy to care.” From “Into Thin Air”

The only connection I can make to Nepal is through the Jon Krakauer true-life thriller “Into Thin Air.” In it, Nepalese “Sherpas” assist some tourists to the summit of Mount Everest and while coming down, they endure one of the worst natural disasters in the modern era. Don’t worry, my visit to Whittier’s “Golden Triangle” wasn’t nearly as violent, unless you count the scalding my tongue received from the shrimp green curry. My sister turned thirty so I turned her on to this Burmese/Nepalese joint on Greenleaf that serves a fresh, crisp concoction called “ginger salad.” Ginger salad is a great starter; peanuts, red cabbage, soy nuts, and of course, ginger gives it an ingredient many vegetarian dishes lack: flavor. If you’re more the caveman type, get the moh hin gha, which is catfish chowder you pour over noodles. There was something to this sauce I could not place—delicious but uniquely original. And this is the point: don’t walk into Golden Triangle expecting Thai food. They serve a shrimp curry with muscle but just a bit askew from the norm. There is a fine coconut rice and a Thai iced tea that tastes a bit like Cap’n Crunch. This place is like Jitlada in that they've won a ton of awards and favorable reviews and the place is not shy about displaying them in the lobby. Zagat, Gold, and Shindler are all here with big smiles on neat plaques as you walk in. And when you take your first bite you’ll see why they're the Academy Awards of Whittier. I’ve been to the summit of the world and it’s serving catfish chowder and ginger salad. And I cared very much, thank you.