Saturday, September 29, 2012

Set Your GPS for Thai Namtip

Thai Namtip Dining Room
      Lisa didn't play up Thai Namtip very much, so the delight was all ours when we arrived there for dinner.  Yes, it's in a strip mall, but once you cross its borders, you'll feel like you've entered a different land.  Beautifully decorated with intricate teak carvings, the details continue right down to the native
costume uniforms of the serving staff.  Their exuberant personalities and attentive service added much to the ambiance and cuisine.

Thai Iced Coffee and Iced Tea
      Eric and I started with our usual Thai Iced Tea and Iced Coffee.  They can all be slightly different and theirs were rich without being overpowering.  They were also noticeably less expensive than at other Thai establishments.  Lisa was offered several refills of her Jasmine Iced Tea.  DInner selections took a while to choose with so many dishes, some of which were new 
to us.  

Namtip Thai Spicy
Lisa ordered the Namtip Thai Spicy with pork stir-fried in their special pepper sauce with Napa cabbage, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, broccoli, celery, carrots, baby corn, and sweet bell peppers.  It was surprisingly light, but rich, and packed with flavor.  Eric was leaning toward the Pad Woon Sen, mainly because he had not had it before.  He chose it with chicken stir-fried with ground peanuts, egg, bean sprouts, and scallions.  Sometimes peanut sauce can be overpowering, but this had a good balance with the vegetables.  

Pad Hmee with Pad Woo Seen in the Background
I decided to go with the Pad Hmee—another stir-fry of chicken with angel hair rice noodles, cabbage, bean sprouts, green onion and egg layered with a tangy and sweet chili seracha sauce.  Although the sauce can get spicy, I asked for a mild version which allowed the dish to become a Thai comfort food version of my Grandma,'s chicken and noodles.  I had no complaints, and neither did Lisa or Eric with their selections.

      Thai restaurants are like the proverbial "Starbucks on every corner" on the east side of the city, but they can be hard to find on the Westside.  Thai Namtip was not only a find, but a destination that everyone should make no matter the side of the city in which you dwell.  

Thai Namtip on Urbanspoon




Sounds good, but you know how Asian restaurants kinda scare me!

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