The Beth Lists
  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!



Diverse Dining List

Lek's Railroad Thai

5/12/2021

0 Comments

 

Montgomery, Alabama

This is a throwback dining memory. Don and I visited Montgomery in February 2020, before the pandemic put a halt to our travel and dining adventures.
Picture
We arrived on a drizzly day. After checking into our hotel, we walked a block to admire this beautiful train station from 1898.

​Lit Up!

We didn't realize there was a restaurant hidden in the train station, until we saw their sign at night.
Picture
We love Thai food. And I love a restaurant with a clever name, that "Thais" into the theme of the building. Plus the reviews on TripAdvisor, raved about the food.

Entrance

I'm not even sure why I took this photo of the entrance, when we arrived, over a year ago.
Picture
Maybe I was intrigued with the winding ramp and its endless railing. Or maybe I was amused by the chef sign, which looked a little out of place. Who knows. But now, my eyes are drawn to the bottle of hand sanitizer. Lek's Restaurant was so ahead of the game, in February 2020.

​Open Space

Once we made it up the ramp, we were greeted with a lovely, open dining space.
Picture
I could still feel a bit of the old station, with the high ceilings and narrow,  iron columns. Another wall had tall windows, looking out toward the tracks. 

Thai Decor

There was lots of decor that we wouldn't have seen in the station, over a century ago. The carved doors, the elephant and the golden figures, came to the station with the owners in 1997.
Picture
Picture
Our waiter said his wife was related to the family who started this restaurant in Birmingham, before it came to Montgomery. I think he said they had the doors carved for the restaurant. But I could have that wrong. 
​
Quiet

We arrived on the late side that evening, so the restaurant was nearly empty. It was nice that I could peek around without bothering diners.
Picture
There were so many curious treasures, but my eyes were drawn to the photographs. I always want to know about people in photos.

Family?

​Don asked more questions and I looked at more photos. 
Picture
I noticed the framed portraits, hung high. Could that good looking couple be the owners, when they were young? I was wrong.

The King and Wife
​

I was surprised to learn that this casual portrait, was an image of Thailand's previous king and his wife. I never would have guessed that the man in the sunglasses was the well respected king, who died a few years ago.
Picture
I tried to remember what my daughter-in-law taught me in 2017, when we visited her family's home in Thailand. There are strict laws that prohibit criticism of Thai Royalty. So, I won't say much. Let's just say, the new king is not exactly adored.  

Formal Portraits

Above the doorway, I saw two more portraits. ​I believe these are also images of the previous king and his wife. The country mourned his loss when he died in 2016.
Picture
Evidently he reigned for 70 years and 126 days. He was highly revered by the people of Thailand. His son does not have so many fans. Maybe that's why he mostly lives in Germany, instead of Thailand. Odd.

Food & Drink

What I remember well about our evening at Lek's, is that our meal was pretty amazing.
Picture
Picture
Don started off with some Singha beer. Perfect.

Panang Curry
​
Picture
Don's a huge fan of Panang Curry and he was impressed with this smooth and spicy dish. I later learned that Lek's has earned the title of Best Ethnic Food Restaurant in Montgomery.

Pud Thai
​
I often try to step out of my comfort zone and try new dishes. But I couldn't help myself. I chose my favorite, which isn't very adventurous.
Picture
Good old Pad Thai, called Pud Thai at Lek's. I was more than happy! 

Festive, but Quiet 

Before departing I took a quick look at the bar. I was glad to see two men having a relaxed converstaion. I hate being the very last to leave.  
Picture
I admired more Thai decor, sitting right on top of the bar. Now, it's a year later and I'm noticing another bottle of hand sanitizer, on the corner above the high chairs. I guess the Lek family was staying on top of the news better than we were. At the time, Don and I were aware of the Coronavirus scare, but it was all far away. Hand sanitizer was not a thing yet.

Lek Family?

On the way out, I noticed this photo. I'm not sure if any of these women are members of  the Lek family.  
Picture
Actually I'm not really sure if Lek is the name of the family at all. I was able to find so little on the internet. I would love to know more.

Luckily, it looks like the restaurant survived the challenges of 2020... and 2021, so far. Hopefully we'll be able to return, one of these days. I think I'll order Tom Yum soup. Then, I'll ask about that elephant head on the wall. 
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
       The Dining Blog

    This is a blog about Dining Adventures. Sometimes, I talk about food.  Below, you can read how this started.


    On
    July 4th 2011, I set a goal to try 50 culturally diverse restaurants in one year!  (I knew that was possible, living in the Houston area) I spent the year pulling in friends and family to  join me, on some unusual dining adventures.  I met some curious people, tried some scary foods and explored places and cultures I never would have otherwise.  Even though I met my goal, I learned too much to end my adventures in dining.  I have continued  blogging about memorable dining adventures of all kinds, near and far... and all the discoveries and funny things I've learned  along the way!
    ​

    Locations and types of dining adventures,  are listed further down.

    Archives

    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    January 2018
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011

    Categories

    All
    000 The Beginning!
    00 BBQ
    00 Cookbook Adventures
    00 Drive Ins
    00 Drive Ins Diners Cafes
    00 Houston Area
    00 Saloons & Taverns
    00 Tiki Time
    0 Alabama
    0 Arizona
    0 Arkansas
    0 California
    0 Colorado
    0 Florida
    0 Georgia
    0 Idaho
    0 Illinois
    0 Iowa
    0 Louisiana
    0 Michigan
    0 Mississippi
    0 Missouri
    0 Montana
    0 Nevada
    0 New Mexico
    0 New York
    0 North Carolina
    0 Oklahoma
    0 Oregon
    0 South Carolina
    0 South Dakota
    0 Tennessee
    0 Texas
    0 Utah
    0 Vermont
    0 Virginia
    0 Washington
    0 Washington D.C.
    0 Wyoming
    1 In Belize
    1 In Canada
    1 In Chile
    1 In Curacao
    1 In Guatemala
    1 In Mexico
    1 In Roatan
    1 In Thailand
    Afghani
    Argentine
    Basque
    Belgian
    Belizean
    Bengali
    Bermudian
    Bosnian
    Brazilian
    Cafes
    Canadian
    Chile
    Chinese
    Columbian
    Cornish
    Costa Rican
    Cuban
    Curacao Island
    Czech
    Danish
    Diners
    Dominican
    English
    Ethiopian
    Filipino
    French
    French Basque
    French Creole
    German
    Greek
    Guatemalan
    Honduran
    Hopi
    Houston Area
    Hungarian
    Indian
    Indonesian
    Iranian
    Iraqi
    Irish
    Italian
    Jamaican
    Japanese
    Korean
    Lebanese
    Malaysian
    Mexican
    Mongolian
    Moroccan
    Nepali
    New Hampshire
    New York
    Nigerian
    O
    Pakistani
    Palestinian
    Peruvian
    Polish
    Portuguese
    Puerto Rican
    Russian
    Salvadoran
    Scottish
    Spanish
    Swedish
    Swiss
    Taiwanese
    Thai
    Turkish
    Uruguay
    Venezuelan
    Vietnamese

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!