Charming my Sister

While my sister was visiting from Hong Kong, we went to one of my favourite Thai restaurants down in Yaletown. It has a really cool vibe and a really nice patio. They have a lot of lunch specials, which we were dying to try! 

Each of their lunch specials comes with a bowl of Tom Yum soup, and a pair of deep fried shrimp wontons. The soup isn't just brothy...there are noticeable chunks of chicken and mushrooms too. A nice tang cuts the spicy-ness nicely! The wontons are fried to a crisp, and then tossed very lightly with a sweet and sour sauce. Really good and meaty! 

My entree was the first to arrive...it's called the Spicy Larb Gai Lettuce Wrap...minced chicken mixed in a refreshing mixture of Thai herbs and spices, combined with fish sauce and chillies. The dressing suited the minced chicken very well. And I love any food that I can play with...

My mom got her usual Pad Thai...with chicken. I think she's been her about five times, and I really think she has ordered the same thing everytime! It's a safe choice for her...perfectly done noodles with chicken tossed in a mildly spicy and sweet pad thai sauce. The fresh bean sprouts and grated carrot gives the dish a nice crunchy texture to contrast the noodles. 

My sister got the Red Curry with beef, which came with a healthy serving of rice as well as some steamed greens. A nice balanced lunch...veggies, carbs and protein. There was so much curry that...way more than we could finish for lunch. Got some of that to-go, but we polished off the veggies and rice though!

B's dish was the last to arrive, but it was well worth the wait...Thai Papparadelle. It's my hands-down favourite from here, right next to the Duck Sticks (amazing duck confit spring rolls)! The noodles were al dente, with some beef (some even with bones, my favourite), and sweet red peppers. The sauce is a little spicy, not killer hot, but just enough to make you pause after taking a big bite. Pick apart the basil that sits atop the dish, toss it in, and you've got yourself pasta done right...Thai Style.