Second Date

Twelve years ago we started dinner club and went on our first date. I don't really know what the rules are on how long you should wait to call the person back...is it Barney Stinson's Three-Day Rule? Or is twelve years good?! On that first date, I vaguely remember that I had only one child--a baby--and I was marvelling at how much free time I had for running a dinner club and a blog (do you ever want to go back to your younger-self and just punch her in the face?!). As well, I remember having a good time--One Reviewer has compared all subsequent salmon dishes to the one he had on his dinner club first date. And, looking at archived posts, Thaifoon was a good first date--no fireworks, granted, but a solid outing. So, twelve years later we decided to phone Thaifoon back and go on our second date. 

Now, I'm no expert, but if you want your second date to go well, here are some helpful pointers:

1. Do Something Different Than You Did on the First Date

Well, Thaifoon, we invited different people! (Again, I'm not sure if that's how dating works.) We started with a round of fun cocktails and Singha beer. The cocktail menu is quite extensive (more than what's listed online), but Anita Peanut was disappointed that her pina colada was not "the best" as indicated and Magic Finger didn't think her One Night in Bangkok was fruity or tasty enough.

2. Tease Him a Little (But Don't Make Fun!)

On to the teasing! For appetizers most of the group ordered the house special Foon Rolls--a combination of a fresh roll wrapped in a crispy spring roll, wrapped in an enigma--or at least mint leaves. Too many

Mango Salad with crispy rice noodles

mint leaves. The mint seemed out of place and really threw the flavour off. Anita Peanut did enjoy the Tom Yum soup ("yummy!"), but really, how can you go wrong with Tom Yum soup?! The mango salad was also fresh and vibrant with crispy rice noodles for garnish. 

3. Don't Talk About Your Ex!

This one's tricky because it's Thai food. It's hard not to order the classics (pad thai, drunken noodles, curry) and not compare it to previous Thai experiences or to the love of your life. The peanut pasta offers a spicy option with crispy katsu chicken garnished with lots of peanuts. This dish is a thick noodle which Anita Peanut found very satisfying. Magic Finger enjoyed the red curry and thought it was just the right level of spice. Balzac thought the pad thai was "pretty good" but thought the portion was a bit smaller than other pad thais. I had the drunken noodles and while it was a hearty and tasty dish, it was too saucy and I couldn't really taste the basil. And boy, oh boy! One Reviewer definitely would not stop talking about his ex! The last time he came to Thaifoon, he ordered a panko crusted salmon served on asparagus legs with rice rolls and curry. It is the salmon dish that he has talked about for twelve years and he was SO excited to order it again. Sting tells us, "if you love someone, set them free." In the words of One Reviewer, "you can never go back."

The disappointing salmon.

4. Offer to Pay

Seeing as this is not that kind of dinner club, of course we paid! The prices are reasonable for a post-Covid inflationary standard (which still takes some getting used to), but the only luke-warm enjoyment (sorry, no third date) of the meal didn't quite align with the price point.

As usual, it was a fun night out. We followed-up on some of the other second date pointers--ask thought-provoking questions (why don't you like hugs?!), go to multiple venues (we went to Home County and a Latin Festival), and we locked down another date (stay tuned...). All in all, it was good to get out for dinner club again even if One Reviewer did have his heart broken. 

Location: Thaifoon (120 Dundas St.) 
Entree Cost: $19-22 Number of Reviewers: 5
Value: $ $ $ 
Overall: * * 1/2