It’s not everyday you will come across a diner serving up Thai food! =) Over the weekend, hubby and I drove over to this little Thai restaurant diner after driving past the place a few months back. We found parking right in front of this quaint diner. It was my first time dining in a mobile home looking diner and nothing on the menu was your traditional American diner food; it was all authentic Thai food! =) The interior had the typical diner bar look and some tables to fit no more than 30 patrons at a time. Very cozy place.=)
The place looks like a family run business with Max, the owner serving us and the other customers. He was friendly and was chatting up with his customers while serving them. Here’s what we ordered:
1) Thai Tom Yum Koong (Left) - Hot and sour with chili, lemon grass, mushrooms, lime juice and shrimp @ $3.50. This was pretty flavorful and good. One of the better Tom Yam Soup we’ve had! I wished they threw in some cilantro in the soup though…
2) Lanna Thai Bags (Right) - Crispy vegetable and chicken stuffed with potatoes and wrapped within spring roll paper, gathered at the neck, tied and deep fried. Served with sweet and sour sauce. @ $6.95. This was sooo good!! The golden bags (5 pcs) where served up warm and crispy, while the filling was flavorful and moist!
3) Spicy Basil/Pad Gra Pow (Left) - Fresh chili pepper and basil leaf stir fried with mushrooms, string beans, bell pepper and onions. @ $14.95 (Duck). Hubby ordered this. The first look, the dish was piled with green beans (and other veges). When you finally dig through the beans, you’ll find pieces of duck breast on the bottom. Duck breast was fried till perfection, where it’s crispy on the outside and juicy (and moist) in the inside. You don’t really see the presence of the basil, but you sure can taste it! This was really good, though it could use a little more gravy. One thing I did not like was how he charged us $1.50 for the rice without asking us. And how they expect us to eat dishes and curry without rice. To be charged $15 for the entree, it wouldn’t hurt to just serve it with a bowl of rice and only charge if a second helping is requested! Apparently, this is a common practice in Asian restaurants in the US where some restaurants will bring you rice (without you asking) and charge you for it!
4) Pad Thai (Right) - Your favorite fried rice noodles with chicken, ground peanuts, eggs, bean sprouts topped with scallions. Served with fresh bean sprouts. Spicy version available @ $9.95. This was what I ordered. Nothing to shout about. It was ok, though the chicken pieces were a bit on the dry side. It came with fresh bean sprouts which I wasn’t really keen of. I prefer my bean sprouts cooked. =)
Overall dining experience was good. It was a nice gestures that all customers were served some complimentary fresh fruits (watermelon to be exact) ! A for that little gesture! The chef also put in some effort in garnishing the dishes served upon us! Another A for that! This place is worth a second visit!
Check out Lanna Thai’s website for address and their delicious menu. Please note that there are lunch and dinner prices.
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