Thai Kitchen - Irvine, CA

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD100 and Canon PowerShot SD800is.)


(Cashew Chicken - lunch portion)

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. When times are tough and I'm tired of dealing with the drudgery of the daily grind, a cozy neighborhood joint serving comfort food is what I need. The grub doesn't need to be great, as long as it's filling and I can eat with rice and a spoon.



Enter Thai Kitchen, one of the few Thai restaurants in Irvine, well as one of the few eateries open past 9:00pm. Since that's often when I get back from the office, Thai Kitchen is a regular in my late-night dinner rotation. After long day's work and a tiring commute, I need something spicy to invigorate my body and refresh my mind.



They may not know my name at Thai Kitchen, or even remember me between visits, but they darn well make me feel like I do. The space is friendly and inviting, as are the wait staff. The owner seems to be there every night. She's a charming lady with a warm smile and an unfailingly cheerful personality, even when dealing with difficult customers. Although I probably only visit the restaurant a few times a year, she always makes me feel relaxed.


(elonweis is a regular.)

The food is middling-to-good, depending on what you order. Adjusted for American tastes, it's sweeter, thicker, less sour, and less spicy than more authentic fare. This strategy makes sense, given Thai Kitchen's location in the center of Irvine. How many Thai people do you think live in this part of Orange County? Not many. Most of their clientele is white or from other Asian cultures.

However, many of Thai Kitchen's dishes are delicious regardless of their authenticity. The Tom Kha Kai (Coconut Milk Chicken Soup) is a good example. While it lacks the mouth-puckering sear of the traditional version, the flavorful stock and richness from coconut milk give it great depth. Both elonweis and Cat are in love with it.



The Ruby Siam, a kicked up version of their Cashew Chicken, melds fresh vegetables, tender slices of chicken, and crunchy cashews with a classic Thai basil chili sauce. The syrupy, fiery red elixir packs enough heat to get my blood flowing, yet is gentle on my tongue and stomach. It's Cat's favorite dish.



If you're a stickler for the pure stuff, the trick to navigating Thai Kitchen's menu is to ignore most of it and order off of the Thai Specials section in the back. These are purer offerings closer in flavor to their traditional counterparts. One of my favorite items are their Spicy Thai Sausages. These crispy tubes of meaty goodness have an aggressive tartness and a deceptively gentle heat that builds slowly until even a devoted chili head, such as yours truly, is left groping for his water glass. Thankfully, Thai Kitchen also provides a selection of peanuts, fresh vegetables, and herbs to temper the sting, as well as a wedge of raw cabbage to kill the flames. The combination of flavors and sensations are startlingly complex and inarguably delicious.



elonweis and I are both fond of Thai Kitchen's Spicy Fried Catfish. We order it at every Thai restaurant we visit, using it to gauge their skill and the authenticity of their cuisine. Thai Kitchen's version has a reasonable amount of heat from fresh chilies backing it up. The catfish are cooked to a texture perfect for soaking up the thick sauce, and the fried basil lends its perfume to the entire dish. This, and a big plate of rice (which will cost you an extra dollar, as it will at all Thai restaurants), is a little dollop of happiness for an exhausted panda.


Thai Kitchen - It's not the best Thai food in the county, but it's definitely the best in Irvine. The prices are very reasonable for Thai restaurants in the area.


Bill:

Spicy Thai Sausage - 8.95
Cashew Chicken - 7.50/10.50 (lunch/dinner)
Tom Kha Kai - 7.50/10.50 (bowl/hotpot)
Ruby Siam - 8.25/10/95 (lunch/dinner)
Spicy Fried Catfish - 14.95


Flavor: B-
Ambience: A
Service: A+
ROI: B

Overall: B+


Thai Kitchen
4250 Barranca Pkwy # U
Irvine, CA 92604
1-949-857-1788

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Thai Princess - Westminster, CA

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD100 and Canon PowerShot SD800is.)

It's hot. The sun beats down on my head like a smith in his forge, rhythmic hammer strokes sending sparks flying through my consciousness with each measured swing. The dry air wheezes through my parched lungs. I shade my eyes, soothing cracked lips with a tongue leathery from the lack of moisture. My throat works for a few moments as I try to swallow. Coughing, I spit out dust and pollen. Some days, Ultimate Frisbee can be damn brutal.


(Combination Seafood Soup)

There are times when food needs to refresh both the body and the spirit, to offer more beyond simple nourishment or pleasure. There are times when you need to be renewed. After a hard workout, I turn to Thai cuisine. With its emphasis on blending multiple flavors and textures, Thai food can clear the mind and return strength to weakened flesh. The key is, as with all good food, a sense of balance.



Unobtrusively located in a shopping center at the corner of the 405 and Beach, Thai Princess is easily overlooked amongst the popular chain restaurants that surround it. However, Thai Princess' refined dishes and peaceful ambiance make it the oasis of choice for the discerning diner. Located near my old office, it's where I dine when I'm in the mood for Thai.



Start your rebirth with a steaming bowl of Tom Kah Kung, a deceptively simple soup of shrimp, mushrooms, coconut milk, and spices that epitomizes the gastronomic harmony displayed in Thai cuisine. The heat of the chilies is tempered by the gentle coconut milk. The herbal aroma of lemongrass, brassy freshness of coriander, and sweet burn of galangal entwine with each sip.



To cool the bodies of those suffering from the heat, order Thai Princess' Papaya Salad with dried shrimp. The innocent-looking shreds of unripe papaya, lettuce, and other vegetables are laced with a fiery blend of fresh capsicums barely kept in check by the sweetness of the crushed peanuts, sugar, and dried shrimp sprinkled over the top. One bite is enough to make strong men sweat flames and weep blood. Yet after the initial sear, the effects of the salad can be appreciated. The sweat cools the body while the intensity of the chilies clears the mind.



Satay chicken, marinated before being grilled over high heat, is probably one of the most popular Thai dishes in the States. The peanut sauce served with the chicken is even more popular. However, don't ignore the small salad of cucumber, red onion, fish sauce, and chilies that's also included. Meant to cleanse the palate between bites of rich peanut sauce and meat, the cucumber salad is the key to deriving maximum enjoyment from your Satay Chicken.



The principle of harmony in all things is also employed with Thai Princess' Stuffed Chicken Wings. Entire chicken wings are laid out and generously filled with a mixture of glass noodles, meat, and vegetables, then breaded in Japanese panko crumbs and deep-fried. While the dish was undoubtedly created for the American palate, the sweet, sour, and spicy sauce is intended to cut the heaviness of the fried wings and prevent your sense of taste from being dulled.



Once you understand the undercurrent running through all Thai cuisine, the balance in each dish becomes apparent. Kana Moo Krob is a dish of stir-fried Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce with chilies and deep fried pork belly. The heat of the chilies is tempered by the sweetness of the oyster sauce. The fried pork belly lends flavor and body to the crisp Chinese broccoli. It all fits.



The same interplay is evident in Thai Princess' Roasted Duck. The Chinese-style roast duck is served over stir-fried bok choy and garnished with fresh coriander. The dipping sauce is a mixture of fresh chilies and kecap manis, a type of soy sauce thickened with molasses.



Although the concept behind the food seems simple, the complexity of the flavors produced shouldn't be underestimated. Take the Stuffed Calamari. Baby squid are stuffed with a seasoned mixture of ground chicken, lemongrass, ginger, and other spices to create chicken sausages with squid skins. The tender little nuggets are stir-fried with fresh Thai basil, onions, and bell peppers in a sweet sauce. The flavor? Indescribably good.



Spicy Catfish w/ Chili Paste is an eye-watering dish of deep-fried catfish slices stir-fried in a fiery sauce. I have no idea what all goes into that crimson elixir, but the resulting combination is sex on a plate. The sweep bell peppers? Think of them as a barely effective prophylactic.



However, the best dish in the entire restaurant is the Plar Dook Yang, a whole steamed catfish so fresh it threatens to leap off the plate and smack you with its tail for trying to eat it. The delicate green sauce served with the fish perfectly encapsulates the harmony in Thai cuisine between salty, sweet, spicy, sour, and bitter. Simply sublime.



(Roasted Duck Fried Rice)

Thai Princess - I know a number of enthusiasts, many of them friends of mine, are at this point jumping up and down and hollering "Thai Nakorn" at their computer screens. Yes, Thai Nakorn is the undisputed king of Orange County Thai restaurants. Given that, Thai Princess is, obviously enough, the princess.


Bill:

Combination Seafood Soup - 12.95
Tom Kah Kung - 7.95
Papaya Salad - 6.95
Satay Chicken Wings - 6.95
Stuffed Chicken Wings - 6.95
Kana Moo Krob - 6.95
Roasted Duck - 8.95
Stuffed Calamari - 7.95
Spicy Catfish w/ Chili Paste - 8.95
Plar Dook Yang - 25.95
Roasted Duck Fried Rice - 7.95


Flavor: A-
Ambience: B
Service: B
ROI: A+

Overall: A-


Thai Princess
16338 Beach Blvd.
Westminster, CA 92683
1-714-841-7935

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Thai Bamboo Bistro - Irvine, CA

Every so often, Cat and I decide to go on a driveabout, which is a walkabout adapted to the suburban sprawl that is Orange County. With no destination in mind, we point our car down random roads and allow the streams of humanity to carry us away. It's a relaxing way to spend an afternoon. You never know where you might wash up.

Sailing the wine-dark asphalt can give this pandanaut a mighty hunger. As satin-tressed Night covers the sky, our driveabouts inevitably end with feasting to celebrate our heroic adventures.


(Lighting the darkness.)

We discovered Thai Bamboo Bistro at the end of one such journey. It had been a long day, and I honestly had very low expectations when we pulled into a darkened shopping center in Irvine's Shady Canyon neighborhood. The Quiznos, Starbucks, and Sharky's Mexican Grill did little to reassure me. Fortunately, there were a few interesting dining options available as well. Thai Bamboo Bistro seemed to be the most promising amongst them.


(Panda Math: posh digs == 20% markup)

With muted tones of wood and gold, the decor of the restaurant was highly appealing and somewhat unexpected, given the other inhabitants of the strip mall. The suspicious bastard lurking inside of me immediately adjusted the expected cost of the meal upwards by 20%.

Our server was a very friendly and very knowledgeable young Thai man who was amusingly obsessed with my cell phone. He added a light-hearted note to our dinner that I found quite enjoyable.


(Hard to eat.)

Shockingly enough, the prices on the menu were very reasonable, although there was still a slight markup. Cat and I shared a chuckle over some of the typos, which were even funnier given our server's self-avowed interest in cell phones.


(A little off.)

Cat decided to order a Pink Lemonade for her beverage. She found it serviceable, but remarked that it tasted a little funny. I tried some and advanced the theory that the restaurant used palm sugar instead of cane sugar as a sweetener. The lemonade was tasty enough that we didn't bother checking.


(You put de lime in de coconut...)

All the bamboo decorations had me feeling a bit tropical, so I decided to order the Young Coconut Juice. Since a number of Southeast Asian restaurants purchase this beverage canned or jarred, I was expecting it in a glass with ice.


(Pandanaut + Coconut = Pandanut)

Instead, I was thrilled to receive a chilled, fresh, neatly decapitated coconut with a spoon that I could use to dig out the tasty flesh. I was thrilled. I was also a dork and had Cat take my picture with my new best friend.


(Strange shrimp.)

As Cat had graciously decided to buy me dinner, I let her order for us. True to form, she chose the Traditional Pad Thai, which is also one of my Thai food favorites. How can you go wrong with shrimp, chicken, pressed tofu, eggs, rice noodles, and raw and cooked bean sprouts stir-fried in a sweet and spicy peanut sauce? It's even topped with more peanuts! Decadent.

Thai Bamboo Bistro's rendition was very good, although I could tell that the seasonings had been adjusted for Western tastes. All of the classic components were there, but the balance was skewed. In addition, Cat complained about a slightly chemical taste to the otherwise plump and juicy shrimp, which I was also able to pick out.

Consuming the off-tasting shellfish didn't have any detrimental effects later that evening. The portion was large and I liked the taste of the sauce. Based on that, I would probably order it again. However, if the shrimp tastes strange during my next visit as well, there probably won't be a third one. Food doesn't have to be 100% authentic in order to be good, but it needs to be fresh.


(Beefy goodness.)

At our server's strong suggestion, Cat also ordered the Black Pepper Steak. This proved to be a simple stir-fry of bell pepper, steak, and onion in a savory black peppercorn sauce. Cat and I loved the tender steak, although I would have liked more black peppercorns in the sauce. As with the Pad Thai, this dish had obviously been adjusted for the Western palate, but was enjoyable nonetheless.


(No charge!?!)

Thai Bamboo Bistro scored additional points by not charging us for our rice. This Taiwanese panda grew up with steamed rice in restaurants offered gratis, and has always been annoyed by Thai or any other restaurants that charge per bowl of rice. I was happy to see that Thai Bamboo Bistro offered its diners as much rice as they wanted free of charge. That's the right way to do it.


Thai Bamboo Bistro - It may not be authentic, but it's pretty good. A nice place to take the family if you're in the neighborhood and want a change from the usual dining rotation.


The Bill (for two):

Pink Lemonade - 2.00
Young Coconut Juice - 3.00
Traditional Pad Thai - 11.00
Black Pepper Steak - 17.00

Tax - 2.56
Tip - 6.00

Total - 41.56


Flavor: B
Ambience: A-
Service: A
ROI: C+

Overall: B+


Thai Bamboo Bistro
6715 Quail Hill Pkwy.
Irvine, CA 93603
1-949-509-4771

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