Wow, I was not expecting a chain Thai restaurant to be this good. They have locations in Aspen and Breckenridge, and Kauai. After reading Tasting Kauai’s review, I thought it was worth a try. It turned out the three dishes I tried were the best version of those dishes I’ve had at restaurants outside of Thailand, better than the places in San Francisco, and almost as good as the food at Lotus of Siam. Those 3 dishes were mango tango salad, basil chicken, and shrimp/pineapple red curry.
While all the dishes on the Thai portion of the menu are likely tasty, there are parts of the menu that seem like they are there to appease a certain tourist crowd. It’s a minor compromise, the combination of ready availability of Thai ingredients and a talented chef = fantastic Thai food.
High profit margin? Owners like to ski and surf? Repeating a successful formula? I am also flummoxed by choice of locations.
Their menu isnt anywhere close to as extensive as Lotus of Siam but the food was definitely better than Lers Ros, House of Thai way back when, and Chai Thai. The ingredients are fresher, the flavors brighter.
Second meal there: really great lamb yellow curry. Could detect freshly ground spices. Larb was a little sweet though and not as citrusy as I would have liked, probably the weakest dish between the two visits.
We have visted 3 more times in the past few months and feel that the kitchen is using more sugar and less spice. It’s now on par with some of the mediocre places in San Francisco, sadly.
