Mango Tree makes its U.S. Debut
Internationally popular Thai restaurant opens first stateside location in D.C.
“I don’t ever give the wrong interpretation. Our chefs spend time in Thailand. They spend months immersed in Thai culture. Immersed in how you cook Thai food. It is all about cooking the right thing. If I cannot do it right, I don’t put it on the menu,” says Trevor MacKenzi, managing director of Asian Cuisines & Hospitality, the company behind the new Mango Tree DC, opening Thursday, Jan. 15.
Chef Pitaya Phanphensophon launched the first Mango Tree in Bangkok in 1994. Since then, Phanphensophon has opened Mango Tree restaurants in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Dubai and Britain. To help with his first U.S. location, Phanphensopon is partnering with chef Richard Sandoval, who already has a strong presence in D.C. with six other restaurants.
Located in the new CityCenterDC development, Mango Tree DC occupies 6,800 square-feet of space, with a 45-seat bar and lounge on the first floor and a 140-seat main dining room on the second floor. The main dining room includes a bar area and some seating with views of the kitchen. Both levels of the restaurant have large floor-to-ceiling windows, providing natural light during the day. The restaurant’s design is sleek but not overwhelming, similar to the approach Mango Tree DC appears to be taking with the menu.
Chef Paul Kennedy, who worked at Mango Tree’s Dubai location for four years, will head the D.C. kitchen. He’s is excited about many of the Mango Tree DC dishes, including the Yum Pla Dook Foo, crispy catfish served with green mango salad and cashew nuts and Massaman Gae, slow cooked lamb shank and potato in massaman curry. “I think these dishes will be very different from what people in the U.S. have already experienced on Thai menus,” says Kennedy.
Other dishes on the menu include Pla Goong, lemongrass, chili and lime marinated shrimp; Nam Tok, Northeastern char-grilled steak or pork neck tossed with shallot, mint and roasted rice; and Pad Thai Goong Mung Gorn, stir-fried rice noodle with Maine lobster in tamarind sauce.
Among the desserts are crème brûlée infused with Thai tea, panna cotta with a lime reduction sauce, mango cheesecake and mango sticky rice. Mango Tree DC will also serve a selection of ice creams with an assortment of traditional Thai toppings such as corn, jack fruit, peanuts, and coconut flakes.
Mango Tree DC is also hoping to impress Washingtonians with its handcrafted cocktails, including the Lychee Mojito and Spicy Siam (a mix of Parrot Bay mango flavor rum, mango juice and fresh lime with a Thai chili topper). There’s also a selection of craft beer and a wine list which should marry well with the flavors of Thai cuisine.
Mango Tree DC is located at 929 H Street, NW. Call (202) 408-8100.
Photos by Troy Petenbrink
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