The ability to differentiate between red and green curry is the mark of a good Thai chef and a common tell among children faking colorblindness to skip school. Test your rods and cones with today’s Groupon to Tom Yum Koong II in Arlington. Choose between the following options:

• For $20, you get $40 worth of classic Thai cuisine.<p>
• For $35, you get $80 worth of Thai cuisine for four or more guests.<p>

Tom Yum Koong’s chefs build on traditional Thai recipes to load their menu with exciting and eclectic ingredients ranging from tangerines and mango to wild boar and squid. Sugar and spice join forces to season the thick sauce simmering in the black-pepper-mango curry ($10.95), a flavorful bowl of vegetables and cashews mixed with a choice of meat. A medley of seameats such as mussels and squid sizzle in the Phuket fried rice ($10.95), and the fantasy tilapia ($13.95) takes time off from reading J.R.R. Tolkien to glide out of the kitchen atop a bed of veggies simmering in chili sauce. Basil leaves join peppers, onion, and pork in a skittering dance across the skillet in the pan-fried wild-boar basil ($9.95). Fresh-fish cravings recede at the sushi bar to prevent persistent urges to trawl through exhibits at the local aquarium.

Wooden floors glisten in Tom Yum Koong’s dining room, reflecting warm light from teardrop-shaped fixtures and orange walls. A wooden statue greets guests as they enter and doubles as a busboy to clear off tables and green-cushioned booths during busy weekend hours.