Marianne St. G.
Yelp
My sister's favorite Thai place, and I can easily see why. This place has its own flair and the food is fantastic.
I am not sure I can describe the ambiance. It is fun, Thai inspired (perhaps authentic, I cannot say) and full of surprises. You know how some Mexican restaurants have sombreros as decor? This place has mongkut filling that role. And, if you are like me and don't know that word, they are those pointy Thai headdresses. The music was fun, some spotify list with excellent covers of classic music - Depeche Mode, ABBA, Verve Pipe, and so on. Even the plates are fun - we literally traded plates to ensure everyone was happy. There was a hedgehog, a teapot cat, an owl, and so on, on the plates. Whimsical and just delightful.
This was a birthday dinner, and we went all in - drinks, appetizers, meal, and dessert (for those with room for it!) I was pleased that the menu made it clear where the gluten was to be found. I was disappointed that most GF options were fish and seafood, since I like very little of that genre. In the end, I decided to just eat.
The calamari was good, perhaps a little rubbery. The Mieng Kum Kung (zesty fried shrimp) was excellent, and the pumpkin fries were a surprising delight.
I ordered a Thai Disco, which is a drink that comes in a literal disco ball and tastes a bit like the original 1944 Mai Tai. Lightly sweet, tropical, and just delightful. Another ordered a drink (not sure the name, had chili infused vodka) served in a copper peacock. A flippin' peacock! And it was lit from within!
I got a curry with noodles, braised beef and pork belly and oh! It was tasty! Spicy enough to enjoy but not to overpower, served in a small cast iron cauldron and large enough to feed me twice. Easily. My husband got crab fried rice and did wish he hadn't upgraded to spicy. For him, it overpowered the other flavors. He enjoyed it, but would have preferred it regular.
The presentation was always excellent. Served in a dutch oven, served in a carved out fresh pineapple, served in a flippin' peacock! They definitely put presentation on a par with flavor.
Only two of us had room for deserts - I got the croissanti bread pudding and another got a chocolate cake. The staff had realized it was a birthday meal and came by with ice cream, a candle, and instruments and sang for us.
All this and only 4 stars? Well, first, I really was disappointed that so little non-seafood was gluten free. And, it was a bit expensive. The drinks were $17-$18 each. The shrimp appetizer - which we loved! - was the same price and had only 3 shrimp. Funny, though, I didn't feel the entrees were too expensive - they were large portions as well as excellent, and that always helps.
So, should you eat here? Yes! Everyone loved what they got, the drinks were good, the ambiance unique, the staff friendly. Be prepared for the price and enjoy yourself!