CHARMing my Mom

My mom rarely comes downtown, but she ventured down with some of her friends, I decided to join them for lunch. She had gotten the Groupon from Charm Modern Thai last Thursday and was itching to use it.
There were four of us in total, and we each ordered one Lunch Plate with the intention of sharing. We ordered a rice, two noodle dishes and also a curry. This way we could all try something different. All their $10 lunch plates come with Deep Fried Prawn Wontons, as well as a bowl of Tom Yum Soup. Those came promptly once we placed our order.

The wontons were deep fried and served with a slightly sweet and sour sauce, not coated in it, but just mildly tossed. The Tom Yum soup was good, with chunks of chicken and mushrooms…pretty spicy stuff. Good to warm up after a walk in the cool Vancouver weather.

First up after that was the Pad Thai with Chicken – exactly like it is pictured on the front of their menu. The noodles were cooked perfectly, not overdone at all. Accompanying the noodles was a good medley sliced chicken and tofu, along with the usual bean sprouts and crushed peanuts. The sauce was slightly sweeter than expected, the dish was fragrant and steaming hot. This dish is prepared mild, without a “spicy chili” next to it in the menu, so if you like more kick in your pad thai, then ask for it to be made hotter.

Hot on the heels of the PT was the Thai Style Fried Rice with Chicken. Presentation was pretty, and the vertical shape showed off the vibrant colours of the red, green and yellow peppers in the dish. This was a very big portion, much more than one person could eat. The rice had one chili on the menu, and was very light on the spicy scale.

The other spicy dish was the Spicy Linguine. Again, perfectly cooked noodles tossed with bamboo shoots, peppers and basil. Much of the sauce was down at the bottom, but that is where the flavour also is…make sure to mix and coat thoroughly! If you don’t find it spicy enough, (I’m a heat fanatic) ask for a little hot sauce on the side and toss it all around. All of our dishes had chicken in it, and all the chicken was cooked well, not dry or rubbery at all.

The last dish to arrive was the Red Curry with Chicken that I ordered. I tried this first and was thrilled with the spiciness of it. It was a generous bowl of chicken curry, with a serving of rice and steamed veggies on the side. The curry was piping hot with an even hotter kick. The rice was welcomed. Along with the soup and the fried wontons, you definitely get good bang for the 10-bucks!
Most of the earlier comments around the table regarding the first three concentrated on the mildness of the spiciness. But once they tried mine, they realized that it was indeed the dishes they ordered and not the kitchen being light-handed with the spices! My mom prefers foods that are less spicy, so the first three were perfect for her.

Four women...Four huge plates of food...three lunch leftovers. One note…for the onions that were in both the Fried Rice and the Spicy Linguine, they seemed a little undercooked…perhaps thinner slices would allow it the cook through more?