Now that my office is in Chinatown, weekday lunches have become a bit boring, a constant stream of Dim Sum, BBQ Duck and Banh Mi. So I definitely have to make up for this on the weekends. One type of cuisine that I was definitely missing was Thai. It's funny how there's a total lack of Thai in Chinatown. Japanese is hard to come by too, but more on that in another post. The North Vancouver location of Thai House is actually the closest one to me, so I decided to give it a shot last month. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by the updated decor as well as how busy it was for a Sunday brunch! Oh, and for some reason, I didn't expect them to have a bar, although their sister restaurants Pink Elephant Thai and Urban Thai boasts great weekend traffic due to their fun and friendly bar service.
It was a bit early for drinks, so we just went right for the food. This is a dish I actually first tried at Pink Elephant as part of their appy platter. It's called the Goong Noon Hae, a Tiger Prawn wrapped with noodles and then deep-fried. It's a bit messy to eat, but totally worth it. The crunch is unreal.One of my favourite Thai dishes is the Spicy Som Tum Malagor. It's only available seasonally so be sure to try it if it's available. The raw papaya are julienned and mixed with a spicy concoction of lime juice, fish sauce and lots of Thai spices and chilies. For a salad, this packs a huge punch of heat. If heat isn't your thing, they can prepare it mild as well, as can most of the dishes on their menu. Just be sure to let the server know!Another fun appetizer idea (and great for groups) is their Lettuce Wrap. It has a bit of heat, but not as much as the salad above. The one we ordered is the minced beef version but chicken and duck are also available options. The beef is stirfried with lots of veggies and fresh basil as well as some deep fried vermicelli. The lettuce does a great job of holding everything together and gives it an extra crunch as well. This is the dish that everyone knows, the Pad Thai. The actual portions are larger than this, this is just my portion from the main serving dish. The flavours are quite mild and should appeal to those who don't crave a lot of heat. Crushed peanuts (lots!) are a traditional garnish, so if you're allergic, be sure to tell your server. They are great at asking you as well; something I am glad to be seeing more of in ethnic restaurants.We also got a few of their stir fries. The first one is the Pad Bai Grapua, which is a saute with Thai chilies, pepper and basil, for our protein, we chose chicken. It can also be made vegetarian with tofu instead. In addition to the Pad Thai, my other favourite carby Thai dish is the Pad See-Iw, made with broccoli and egg. The rice noodles here are a bit thicker than Pad Thai noodles, and are stir-fried with pork (So we had one of each protein (Beef lettuce wrap, Chicken Stir Fry and now, the pork). The veggies had a nice crunch to them still but the best part was the slightly chewy rice noodles. Often, I've had stir fried rice noodles that were clumpy and overcooked, but fortunately, these still had a bit of bite to them. Definitely a winner in my book.
Take Note:
It can get busy for brunch on the weekends in North Van, call for reservations!
The awesome guys at VANEATSca have done it again. This time, they have paired up with Thai House Kitsilano to deliver an amazing 5-course dining pass for $18. This deal is a limited offer and you can only purchase it via VANEATs.ca. There is also a few chances to win this great package from their site too. We kicked off the meal with some beverages, namely, a lychee coconut cocktail and a glass of Yellow Tail for me. The first two courses arrive together. On the left, you have the Chicken Wing appetizer and on the left is the Lettuce Wrap. The filling was piping hot, and the lettuce was large enough to envelope the whole thing without spilling over. The beef can be substituted with tofu if you want. As is, the beef is mixed with onions, peppers, basil and some kick ass chilli sauce. This is listed as spicy on the menu and it did have a great heat to it. A highlight of the meal. Here is a close up of the wing cross-section. See how it's packed with veggies and glass noodles? And the dipping sauce accompanying this is a little tangy, great flavour combination. There are a few VANEATSca exclusive menu items, and the first one is the Stir Fried Rice Noodles. This is a mixture of beef, basil, veggies in a mild fish sauce based seasoning with fresh rice noodles. The taste on this was a bit mild, but probably because it came on the heels of the spicier Lettuce Wraps. It's a nice change from the usual Pad Thai, and is a good change of pace. Another VANEATSca exclusive is the Coconut Curry with Mango and Chicken. It's your average yellow curry but elevated with a seasonal element, such as the fresh mango slices you see here. Also milder in taste, this is a good starter curry for those who've been hesitant to give it a try. As with other VANEATSca packages, I always want to try more of the restaurant's menu and this was no exception. We decided to try the Thai Beef Salad or Yum Neua as it is listed on the menu. It's a Sliced Grilled New York Beef mixed with Thai chili and lime sauce. It's not your traditional salad since it is served warm, but the freshness of the ingredients is definitely similar to a salad. And this was spicy, spicier that the Lettuce Wraps and worthy of the four chillies next to it on the menu. If you like your food with more of a zing, try this. Another item that looked intriguing was the Thai Style Omelette. The description of this sounded so good that we had to try it. The filling consisted of minced pork, shrimps, onions, green onions with a spicy sauce. That's some omelette! And as you can see after we sliced it open, it was jammed packed with filling. We couldn't finish everything and I have to say, this was as delicious the next day for lunch. The dessert included in this five-course dinner is the Deep Fried Banana and Mango Ice Cream. Crunchy on the outside with a creamy warm center. Add another dimension with the mango ice cream and it's a trio of interesting textures and tastes. A really good way to end the meal. So if you have been meaning to try Thai House and haven't had a chance to, this deal for $18 is a great introduction. To learn more, take a look at the VANEATSca website. Or click below and check out their video now.
The Thai House location brought back their All-You-Can-Eat Brunch on weekends sometime in January. We checked it out last month and got to sample quite a few dishes.
One all-time favourite is their Larb Gai aka Lettuce Wrap - as someone who loves to play with their food, it doesn't get much better than this. Tender morsels of chicken tossed in Thai spices and mixed with veggies and fried vermicelli. It's definitely one of the highlights here.
Next up - Por Pia Tod aka Spring Rolls! While I rarely order these either at Dim Sum or at other places as an a la carte option, I find them irresistible at #AYCE joints...I know I inhaled quite a few of these at the Chilli House Thai Bistro buffet a while back too. I usually skip the sweet/sour sauce, preferring to keep the crunch factor high.
And for some reason, chicken wings keep popping up at AYCE too. These aren't their famous Boneless Stuffed Chicken Wings (stuffed with vegetables and glass noodles), instead it's simply marinated and deep-fried, served with the same sweet/sour sauce as the spring rolls.
One of their all-time popular dishes is their #19 - Cashew Chicken. We ordered this as well, and the dish is loaded with veggies, chicken and crunchy cashews.
We also tried with Beef Rice Noodle, which is actually made with their pad thai noodles, as opposed to the wider rice noodle you would expect. Again, lots of veggies here, carrots, broccoli and even baby corn!
And seeing as we were in a Thai restaurant, we had to order their one of their curries to try, so we got the Green Curry with Chicken. This was fairly mild, with just a hint of heat (but I can eat really spicy foods). The sauce was fairly thin, so just ladle some into your bowl of steam rice on the side.
Needing just a bit more, we decided to go for a bit more veggies. Simply tossed and coarsely chopped, it was a good accompaniment to the green curry.
This is their traditional Pad Thai and I really enjoyed it. Loads of noodles, topped with shrimp and mixed with a not too sour sauce. I also liked the fact that it wasn't orange, as you find in some other places. This is a must-try. If it isn't spicy enough for you, get some sriracha on the side and you're all set!
All this and dessert too? Yes - we got their mango ice cream and their chocolate ice cream as dessert. Nice way to end the meal. For $16.95, I'd say this was a good #AYCE deal. Only available at their Kits location and only on the weekends! What are some of your favourite All-you-can-eat buffets? Share your idea so I can try them too!
The North Vancouver location of Thai House is actually the closest one to me, so I decided to give it a shot last month. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by the updated decor as well as how busy it was for a Sunday brunch! Oh, and for some reason, I didn't expect them to have a bar, although their sister restaurants Pink Elephant Thai and Urban Thai boasts great weekend traffic due to their fun and friendly bar service.
It was a bit early for drinks, so we just went right for the food. 
This is a dish I actually first tried at Pink Elephant as part of their appy platter. It's called the Goong Noon Hae, a Tiger Prawn wrapped with noodles and then deep-fried. It's a bit messy to eat, but totally worth it. The crunch is unreal.
One of my favourite Thai dishes is the Spicy Som Tum Malagor. It's only available seasonally so be sure to try it if it's available. The raw papaya are julienned and mixed with a spicy concoction of lime juice, fish sauce and lots of Thai spices and chilies. For a salad, this packs a huge punch of heat. If heat isn't your thing, they can prepare it mild as well, as can most of the dishes on their menu. Just be sure to let the server know!
Another fun appetizer idea (and great for groups) is their Lettuce Wrap. It has a bit of heat, but not as much as the salad above. The one we ordered is the minced beef version but chicken and duck are also available options. The beef is stirfried with lots of veggies and fresh basil as well as some deep fried vermicelli. The lettuce does a great job of holding everything together and gives it an extra crunch as well. 
This is the dish that everyone knows, the Pad Thai. The actual portions are larger than this, this is just my portion from the main serving dish. The flavours are quite mild and should appeal to those who don't crave a lot of heat. Crushed peanuts (lots!) are a traditional garnish, so if you're allergic, be sure to tell your server. They are great at asking you as well; something I am glad to be seeing more of in ethnic restaurants. 
We also got a few of their stir fries. The first one is the Pad Bai Grapua, which is a saute with Thai chilies, pepper and basil, for our protein, we chose chicken. It can also be made vegetarian with tofu instead.
In addition to the Pad Thai, my other favourite carby Thai dish is the Pad See-Iw, made with broccoli and egg. The rice noodles here are a bit thicker than Pad Thai noodles, and are stir-fried with pork (So we had one of each protein (Beef lettuce wrap, Chicken Stir Fry and now, the pork). The veggies had a nice crunch to them still but the best part was the slightly chewy rice noodles. Often, I've had stir fried rice noodles that were clumpy and overcooked, but fortunately, these still had a bit of bite to them. Definitely a winner in my book. 
