take in TOP SPICE in Atlanta for an Asian dinner(near the Cobb Perf Arrts Center)-(3/2/19)

Last Saturday night I attended the opening of Eugene Onegin at the Atlanta Opera and chose a strip mall place nearby called Top Spice Thai & Malaysian. The place is warm and cozy insude with a large bar on one end, a central dining area and a several step up "mezzanine" on two sides. There was quiet unobtrusive music(a big change from Gunshow the night prior) and a backlit wall of large glass jars filled with various Asian spices. The wooden tables had small glass panels in the middle with spices boxed into small sections under the glass such as anise, chilies and more. I did not want to eat a lot so started with the Tom Kha Gai, traditional Thai coconut chicken and lemongrass soup which was chock full of mushrooms as well. I also abstained from alcohol and really liked the Harney & Sons Bangkok Green tea with ginger and lemongrass. My main was a dish I adored when in Southeast Asia: Penang Char Kway Teow which is wok fried noodles with shrimp, squid, bean sprouts, egg and chili paste with shredded carrots and lettuce on top to ease the chili intensity. It was perfectly spice and a nice dish and not to filling before the three hour plus operatic evening. It's a place I would return to for sure whenever at the Cobb Center in northwest Atlanta.