Heading into the very teeth of the Cannery Row tourist scrum for a relaxing Thai food escape might seem about as wise as accepting a Bangkok vendor’s opening price. Surprisingly enough, however, Amarin Thai makes such a move downright rewarding. The tourists even provide some decent people-watching, albeit not on the level of the “lady-boys” and weird product-peddlers of Koh Sahn Road.

A colorful orchid on our table, which sat in a windowed corner overlooking the Aquarium, set a simple but classy tone that the rest of the room fell in line with: sherbet-orange walls the color of a Buddhist monk’s robes harmonized with traditional Thai wall-hangs of an embroidered elephant and Thai royalty.

An expertly-crafted Thai iced tea ($2.25) that (once stirred) matched the walls and a cold Singha ($6) channeled Alex and I back to Koh Samui upon contact. The coconut soup, however, had us seeing tuk-tuks and monkeys. The Tom Kah comes in a cup ($3.75-$3.95) or bowl ($12.95-$13.95), with chicken, prawns or tofu. We went big and vegetarian. Beneath a lid we found a pot of straight-up succulent soup (and enough for two cups for each of us), and enough fried tofu and mushrooms (white and straw) to feed a baby elephant. Those ingredients swam with red bell pepper, onions, broccoli and cabbage in sweet coconut milk with cilantro and galangal overtures. In a word: Yes. I dusted my second bowl before the fast-arriving pad Thai and curry hit the table. At the same time, I would’ve enjoyed a Thai-boxer-kick of spice; Chef Issareeya Johnson, who co-owns the spot with her husband James, assures me she can add fresh Thai chiles for mild, medium or heavy Southeast heat upon request.

The chicken pad Thai ($8.95) was sturdy and satisfying, with the crisp bean sprouts breaking up the savory stickiness of the egg, tofu, noodles and chicken. (Ground peanuts were noticeably absent.) I detected a touch too much fish sauce, but Alex dug it; I’d have to defer to her expertise here—in Thailand she tried different pad Thais daily.

The tofu Masaman curry ($7.95) got a nod because I hadn’t seen it offered elsewhere. Issareeya says the sweet curry owes its distinct taste to the atypical ingredients she adds to the reddish sauce, like galangal, lemon grass, coriander seed, and potatoes. Tasty.

All in all, our courageous turn onto Cannery Row was fruitful enough to inspire us to do it all over again the following weekend. (Moreover, like all worthy outposts of Thai food, Amarin requires multiple visits to begin to explore its 100-plus item line-up.) We came back wiser, opting for a large hot sake ($6.95) instead of a pricey beer (even a 12-ounce Bud runs $6), and timing our visit for the quiet tail-end of the lunch shift (2pm) rather than the peak lunch hour, when the tile-floor acoustics made for a less peaceful environment.

The Po-Piah J ($5.95) rolls were well-presented with a house plum sauce and a dynamite little wad of spinach salad. The three halved vegetarian rolls were crispy and spilling refreshing cabbage, but unspectacular. The Mee Krob ($6.95) was a new experience, a webbed stack of crispy, tiny and dry white rice noodles moistened and softened by a tamarind sweet-and-sour sauce and reinforced with sticks of fried tofu, a pair of prawns and bean sprouts. The house red chile sauce helps moisten it up even more.

I went for a spicier soup than last time and was splashing around in self-congratulation immediately: The Tom Yum with prawns ($3.95/cup; $13.95/bowl) was the best dish of either visit. The two shrimp were lip smackin’, but the broth won my Western heart: listed as “medium hot” on the menu, it enjoyed an ideal amount of spice—clearly present but not paralyzing—and an accomplished interplay of lime (from lime juice and kaffir lime leaves), galangal, lemon grass and cilantro.

The pork Pad Kee Mow ($8.95) brought half-inch-thin flat rice noodles with uncomplicated slices of tender pork, a flavorful bookend to a pair of successful visits.

Round two’s bounty of treats and sake came in around $35 and left us with no room for the fried banana with ice cream ($5.25) or the mango with sticky rice ($5.95). Besides, as sweet treats go, the pineapple curry ($7.95-$12.95) appeals to me even more. Next time.

AMARIN THAI CUISINE 807 Cannery Row, Monterey 11:30am-3:30pm • 5:30-9:30pm •Wed-Mon • 373-8811