Wasan Trimas never wanted to be in the restaurant business.

The native of Bangkok, Thailand, grew up in a restaurant family, often rising long before school to help his mother prep for the day’s meals.

“That was before blenders,” Wasan said.  “And I would be up at 5:30 crushing peppers over and over again.  I could never imagine working in a restaurant as an adult.”

But upon moving to America, Wasan found himself in a restaurant kitchen again — this time as a dishwasher.

“I really didn’t like that,” he said.  “But my English was not very good, so I was learning everything.  Soon, I began making salads, then appetizers, learning as I went along, until I became a line cook.”

This self-taught cook didn’t stop there.  He went on to become executive chef at a French restaurant in Atlanta, worked a number of years for Charleston-based Garibaldi Inc. and first came to Savannah as chef of that company’s Bistro Savannah.

An avid golfer, Wasan has attended The Master’s each of the last 20 years and was honored in 2000 when he was selected to cook for that year’s champion, V.J. Singh.

Another offer lured him back to Atlanta, but in 2004, Wasan returned to Savannah and opened Kao Thai Cuisine on the busy, palm-lined Victory Drive boulevard that passes through Thunderbolt.

The celebration of Wasan’s own restaurant did not come without challenges.  The location had been a pretty rough bar, according to Wasan.  He gutted the building, painted its walls a rich butternut squash yellow and draped billowing fabrics from the ceiling.  Linen-topped tables lent an air of elegance to the humble little building.  He settled on the name, Kao, which translates to rice, the staple ingredient for Wasan’s entirely genuine Thai menu.

“I’m very proud of this place,” Wasan said.  “The mayor, the police came in to tell me how happy they were with what I had done here to turn this place around.”

Ambiance is meaningless, though, without good food and service.  Wasan addressed those points by remaining true to his Thai roots — preparing only Thai dishes, unlike, he says, other Thai restaurants that incorporate other Southeast Asian cuisines in their menus.

Wasan works with every server and insists on service that exceeds the seemingly casual atmosphere.  Servers place diners’ napkins in their laps, glasses are polished, and flatware is spotless.

Our friend Marcia joined Miss T.J. and me for our night out at Kao.  It was a typically busy Friday night for the 75-seat restaurant, but we noticed that every table received very individualized attention — a hallmark of Wasan’s philosophy.

We started with a trio of appetizers.  Thai baskets — fried corn-flour baskets filled with a savory, sautéed mixture of shrimp, chicken, carrots, onions and sweet corn — were crunchy, bite-sized morsels.  The baskets’ myriad of sweet flavors was augmented by peanut sauce laced with sesame seeds.

Marcia’s choice of grilled calamari skewers presented an opportunity to taste these chewy squid pieces sans their usual presentation of a deep-fried batter.  The generous portions had been marinated in Thai sweet chili sauce, which added both sweetness and peppery tang.

My Thai dumplings are a nightly special.  These steamed dumplings were tender and packed with meat and veggies for an experience in texture.  This, as did all the appetizers, demonstrated the amount of tedious handwork that goes into many Thai dishes.  Great flavors, perfect preparation and a beautiful presentation all came together for a satisfying beginning course.

Between bites, several friends came in, and we learned by watching that many notable members of the Savannah community are regulars at Kao.  In fact, Wasan says, Kao is becoming something of a gathering spot on Monday nights for chefs and restaurant workers looking for a night out on their only night off.

Miss T. J.’s lightly fried and generous portion of sea bass was accompanied by Wasan’s three-flavor sauce — a combination of ingredients that are, at once, sweet, savory and spicy with Thai chilies.  It was a pleasant pairing that added depth to the fish without masking the buttery goodness of sea bass.

Jasmine rice, adorned with a spot of black sticky rice, accompanied each dish.

Marcia had the choice of green curry sauce or garlic sauce with her lobster and rice.  While I would have chosen the green curry for its color, creamy texture and moderate spice, Marcia chose the other option.  The large lobster tail was tender and sweet — its whiteness was exaggerated as it sat perched atop an aromatic pool of sauce made with a veal reduction and plenty of garlic.

The restaurant’s flexibility on this entree reminded me that every dish is prepared from scratch — and Wasan’s dedication to pleasing the customer means that ingredients can be added, omitted or modified to fit your particular tastes.

I wouldn’t have chosen anything different about my order of crispy duck.  This plump, half duck was moist and tasty with crispy skin that cracked and popped with each bite.  A sauce made of raspberry sauce, Chambord liqueur and Merlot added sweetness to each bite — and the slight acidity of the sauce cut through the duck’s delicious fattiness.  The dish is served amid a ring of blue flame created by the last-minute addition of light rum.

Earlier in the week, we sampled more traditional Thai dishes with a carryout order.  The smells and anticipation of the flavors almost caused me to pull over and sample long before I arrived home.

A pair of basil rolls in sticky rice paper wrappers were plump with lettuce and rice noodles; sweet, tiny shrimp; crunchy bean sprouts; and freshly chopped basil — which I suspect came from Wasan’s large garden.  He grows many of his own herbs, lemongrass and even Kaffir lime.

Our other orders of Thai basil with beef and Pad Mee Mao — chicken with rice noodles, garlic, green beans, onions, tomatoes and basil leaves — arrived home hot and delicious.  The variety of flavors, textures and spiciness made a perfect easy supper for Miss T.J. and me.  Every ingredient was fresh and properly prepared.

I asked Wasan if keeping fresh and unusual ingredients drove his food costs too high.

“I don’t even run those numbers,” he told me.  “I work for myself and only have to please myself.  I believe if I prepare the best food, the money will take care of itself.”

That’s a level of commitment you won’t often hear from a restaurant owner.  It’s certainly a testament to Wasan’s devotion to quality, as well as an indicator of the confidence he possesses, both in the kitchen and the front of the house.

But we weren’t thinking about those heady things when the dessert menu arrived.

Miss T. J.’s fried ice cream was doused with flaming rum upon arrival.  Once the alcohol burned off, the resulting crunchy covering of the sweet mango and green tea ice creams cracked with each bite.

Secretly, I think she was coveting the fried bananas Marcia and I had ordered.  The caramelized banana slices were fanned across the plates and accompanied by a large scoop of ice cream.  Marcia chose mango; I selected coconut — and we were both sighing our way through this decadent finish to the evening’s meal.

Kao’s wine and beer lists are small but suitable for the range of cuisine served.  A lunch menu offers other dishes, and nightly specials offer additional variety that ranges from beef and lamb to chicken and freshly caught seafood.

Kao’s standards of freshness, quality and service place it among the best of Savannah’s restaurants, but that is not an indicator of pretentiousness.  In fact, diners in shorts and sandals are equally comfortable among couples dressed in their finest for a special night on the town.  On one hand, it’s an elegant fine-dining restaurant — on the other, it’s a neighborhood restaurant where the staff and owner quickly learn your name and make you feel as welcome as family.

 
Kao Thai Cuisine

ADDRESS: 3017 E. Victory Drive
 
PHONE: 691-2080

HOURS: Lunch: Mon-Fri 11am-3pm; Sat noon-3pm.  Dinner: Sun-Thurs 5-10pm, Fri 5-11pm, Sat 3-11pm.

RESERVATIONS: Yes

CREDIT CARDS: Yes

BAR: Beer and wine

HANDICAP ACCESS: Two steps up

Meet the Chef – Wasan Trimas
 

Q. What are your three favorite ingredients, and how do you use them?

Wasan: “Lime juice, shallots and chilies — that’s the basics of my Three Flavor Sauce.”

 
Q. What is the most remarkable food you’ve ever eaten?

Wasan: “Oh, sweetbreads!  I didn’t think I would like them, but a restaurant I cooked for put them on the menu, so I had to cook them.  I had never heard of sweetbreads.  I really like them after all.”

 
Q. What is your best advice for home cooks?

Wasan: “Don’t be afraid … get in the kitchen, enjoy it, and you’ll have fun.”