Tarn Tip phra ram meets its match

To those of you with whom I used to frequent Tarn Tip back in Corvallis, you know the affinity (obsession, perhaps?) I have for their Phra rahm (a plate of veggies and fried tofu or chicken smothered in a sweet, spicy peanut sauce). After more than a month here, I have finally eaten a bowl of this glorious stuff. They don't call it Phra rahm as far as I can tell (it seems that this is actually the name of one of the characters in ancient Thai folklore) but what I had was almost exactly the same stuff as at Tarn Tip! A thick, sweet, savory, peanutty sauce ladled over a bowl of rice noodles and topped with chopped fresh green beans, bean sprouts, chili flakes, fish sauce, sliced chilies - it was wonderful, and far more similar to the Corvallis version than I would have imagined (though much spicier, of course).

big steaming bowl of sweet, salty, spicy, crunchy peanutty bliss

I scarfed down the entire bowl in about 15 minutes and then, a little bit too full already, waddled over to the grocery store and bought myself a box of Tim Tams. I'm not sure if it's just the fond memories I have of eating these chocolate coated, chocolate filled, chocolate biscuits in Australia or if it's the fact that they are chocolate coated, chocolate filled, chocolate biscuits, that make them so appealing. probably both. Regardless, I was ecstatic to find them for $1/package in all the grocery stores here. In a country with a terrible dearth of cacao, these decadent little nubs are the only cure for a chocolate craving.

arnotts tim tams. the real deal.