Thai Cafe:Royal Oak

For the first time in about a month we were able to escape for some Thai food again. This time our target was a small restaurant in downtown Royal Oak, right across the street from the local community college. We had been to Thai Cafe before but last spring might have been the most recent visit. Perhaps since it is such a small storefront (with a few tables outside) the service here was very prompt. As I sat down we already had our water and were placing our orders shortly after. Marshall ordered their FR2 Chicken Pad Pad Prik, while I went for the E22 Chicken Masaman (which sadly was available only in a dinner portion). Marshall passed on the Egg Drop soup and I decided to give it a taste. I'm not a fan of Egg Drop soups yet found this one to be better than usual. After a few spoonfuls it was still too salty for my taste and I abandoned a nearly full cup. The entrees arrived moments later. My Masaman was very heavy on peas with huge chicken pieces almost too large to fit into my mouth. Marhsall found his fried rice to be tasty but more spice than he wanted. Within twenty-two minutes of parking the truck we were back into the truck pulling out of Royal Oak leaving some rice and peas behind. We talked a little about the food as we drove away and concluded they used more salt than either of us like. Overall we were pleased with the taste and experience.

Darryl: 7/10
Marshall: 7/10

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Bangkok City Thai Cusine:Southfield

It had been weeks since we'd been able to head out for some Thai food and we were really excited to try Bangkok City Thai Cusine today. We were excited to try a restaurant with such good ratings from Google, Urbanspoon, and Yelp. The store was a pretty simple front in another strip (sorry about not grabbing a photo this time) but the interior was much more impressive. Though a little dark, it was a very pleasant oriental feeling. As soon as we were seated the waitress delivered the Hot & Sour soup and we placed our orders – Marshall the FR1 Kow Pad and I the E15 Gang Masaman. Once our orders were placed we were free to sample the soup. Neither one of us liked their soup. It was overly thick and lacked much flavor but did leave an unpleasant aftertaste. Very quickly after we abandoned our soups the entrees were delivered. The flavor on each was good. My Masaman was swimming in onions (more than a third of the dish) and the chicken didn't seem to be of very good quality. Marshall's rice was undercooked and he didn't come close to finishing the meal. Being that it's at the lower-end of the price spectrum (especially with their 15% off lunch coupon on the website) it was worth the try. It will not make it to the list of Thai restaurants to re-visit.

Darryl: 5/10
Marshall: 5/10

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Thai Garden:Ferndale

We stopped at Thai Garden on the recommendation of a co-worker for this afternoon's adventure in Thai food. This is another simple restaurant tucked into a small, neighborhood strip mall with a simple, light Thai theme (though oddly they didn't have any lights on inside). We sat down and were quickly delivered a couple bowls of Hot & Sour Soup. A quick look through the menu and we located our usual dishes, at very low fees, and placed the order for one F1 Chicken Kow Pad and one SP10 Chicken Gang Mus Sa Mun. We sampled the soup while waiting for the main course. It was pretty good but suffered from a starchiness that killed it for us and neither one of us finished our soup. The real disappointment came once the entrees arrived. Marshall's Kow Pad was by far the worst fried rice dish we've experienced. It had a burned taste to it though not burned, and the chemical taste of Doritos. My Gang Mus Sa Mun was very mild – both spice and flavor – with rubbery peanuts, flavorless potatoes, and chewy, fatty chicken. We did what we could to finish the dishes and hoped for better results as we dug in. Before we hit the halfway point we had to cut the losses and left the remaining dishes on the table and left. Our co-worker who recommended the venue received a thrashing when we made it back to the office and without question we will not be returning.

Darryl: 1/10
Marshall: 0/10

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Novi Siam Spicy:Novi

Today we ventured out to Novi Siam Spicy (which as you might expect from the name is in Novi) in the West Oaks shopping center. The store is just another strip mall space with a typical asian restaurant interior. They have a varied, moderately price menu which includes soup for lunch. Marshall of course ordered the Chicken Kow Pad Prik (67) and I my usual Chicken Gang Mus Sa Mun (27). They had the Chicken & Rice soup at the table before we even ordered and that had good taste but salty. Normally lunch is also served with shrimp chips but never arrived at the table. Marshall's food was delivered pretty quickly with excellent flavor, but a little more oily than he likes. After checking with wait staff twice, and as Marshall nearly finished his meal, my entree finally arrived. It was more a soup with an extremely runny sauce and mostly onions with very little chicken, potatoes, or peanuts. I found its taste disappointing. Marshall's meal was a pretty small portion and mine was even less. Even without factoring in the missing shrimp chips and poor service this store delivered a very poor value. Factor in those and normally we wouldn't consider a revisit to this store. Being that Marshall and his wife have eaten her previously and had good experiences we might give it another try. That will be quite some time off.

Darryl: 3/10
Marshall: 5/10

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Sawasdee Thai Restaurant:West Bloomfield

Our experiment in Thai this afternoon took us to Sawasdee Thai Restaurant in West Bloomfield. The restaurant is tucked into a strip mall and we almost missed what looks to be the only source for Thai food in miles. We were happy to see the store was busy but got a table immediately. We were joined by Fred again and just about the time we sat our soup orders were taken. While Marshall and I selected what looked to be our usual testing dishes (Marshall picked their FR2 Chicken Kow Pad Prik and I their 122 Chicken Potato Curry), Fred picked their ND1 Chicken Pad Thai from their moderately priced lunch menu. The soup arrived and while Fred and Marshall liked their Chicken Noodle, I wasn't pleased with their Hot & Sour Soup which had a very plain and unpleasant taste. A short while later the spring rolls arrived. Those were good, mostly cabbage, but flakey and not overcooked as we've seen elsewhere. The entrees were varied. Fred's Pad Thai was very good, served very hot both in temperature and spice. Marshall was happy with his Kow Pad Prik at first, but the further he got into the dish the less he liked it. As for my Potato Curry it wasn't even close to a Masaman. This was more like an Indian Yellow Curry dish and didn't seem to have the coconut milk nor peanuts. I was very disappointed in the dish mostly for the indian flavor. They did do a good job preparing the dish with the potatoes being cooked well. Given the price of the complete meal we're not likely to return for a second test on this store but being that there are so few Thai restaurants in this area we might end up giving it one more try.

Darryl: 5/10
Fred: 7/10
Marshall: 6/10

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Ahan Thai:Royal Oak

One place we've been hitting on occasion is Ahan Thai in downtown Royal Oak. This stand-alone building had been a coffee house near the tracks in it previous life but now is a very attractive Thai restaurant. This afternoon we were joined by a coworker to try the place again. The lunch menu seems to have been reduced in price and now falls far toward the low end of the Thai lunch rates -- a very welcomed change! I ordered their Chicken Masaman (C4) while Marshall settled on their Chicken Kow Pad Prik (FR2) and Fred tried their Chicken Peanut Curry. The meals came with Hot & Sour Soup which we all agreed was too salty to eat and didn't have much substance (all broth), but Marshall substituted his soup for a terrible spring roll (bitter and greasy) which he also didn't eat. Fortunately the entrees were good rescuing the overall rating. They were still lacking with Fred and I commenting that they were dry and lacked the spice we've expected and heat we ordered. Given the price it's good, but we'll take the drive to one of the other restaurants next time.

Darryl: 6/10
Fred: 7/10
Marshall: 5/10

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Thai Taste:Troy

Marshall was feeling under the weather today and wanted something good to help him feel better. Thai Taste is my favorite local Thai source (at least since Thai Magic Kitchen in Birmingham was sold and later shut down) and Marshall wanted to give it another taste. Hence we ventured over today for a lunch-time treat. The small store front just on the other side of the freeway from the tall offices of Troy, this was one of those places I found years ago while driving past. Today we visited just after their lunch rush to partake of their lunch menu. I ordered the Chicken Masaman Curry (C5) and Marshall tried their Chicken Thai Special Fried Rice (KP7), both on the high side of the average price. Each was served with their Hot & Sour Soup and a Spring Roll. Marshall couldn't stop raving about the soup as the best he's ever tried. The spring rolls were also good, though a better balance between the wrap and contents would have made me happier. As usual, the portion sizes were good and coupled with the soup and spring roll, but was enough to fill me through dinner and take a little home. The taste of each dish was sublime. Marshall couldn't stop raving about the taste and quality and took some of his home as well. Marshall now complains that he has found the Thai restaurant he wants to eat all the time and doesn't feel like continuing the search, but I protest we must try others a little closer to his home and to the office. So the search will continue.

Darryl: 10/10
Marshall: 10/10 (off the charts)

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Thai on Main:Royal Oak

One of those restaurants we'd not tried in years was Thai on Main in Royal Oak so that was our destination today. The first thing we noted was that their web site needs work having among other issues a broken link to the menu. Their interior was pleasant enough but a little disquieting for lunch with more of a cozy dinner feel thanks to the music selection. The service wasn't quick, but once we ordered, I ordered the Chicken Masaman (E22) and Marshall ordered the Chicken Kow Pad Prik (FR2), we were informed that the waiter didn't know what type of soup they were serving today – just that it was something sesame. It looked like a basic noodle soup but in a terribly salty broth and neither of us were able stand more than a couple spoons. The entrees were much better. My was a little bland but not bad. Aside from the favor it was decent quality but didn't have that freshness of ingredients we've had at most of the better rated stores. Marshall thought his was pretty tasty though the rice was a bit greasy. It was on the low end of pricing for Thai lunches we'd found and the portion was good for that price. Sadly we don't recommend the restaurant mostly because neither one of us felt quite right after leaving the table. We've had worse at a much higher cost. Perhaps we'll try again in another couple years.

Darryl: 5/10
Marshall: 5/10

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Bangkok Sala Cafe:Farmington Hills

One source for Thai food near Marshall's home is Bangkok Sala Cafe and he had me drive out there today for a taste of that store with his son. When I first spotted this place from a distance a few weeks earlier I wondered about the exterior look of a strip mall pizza shop for a thai restaurant. Once inside it made a little more sense as it seems to have kept many of the tables, chairs, benches, and even color scheme from a Bellacino's I would have to assume to have been the prior tenant. Marshall ordered his normal Chicken Kow Pad (FR1) while I ordered the normal Chicken Gang Masaman (P29). Their prices were inline with most of the stores we've recently visited, then a coupon printed from their website dropped it into toward the low-end. Each order came with Hot & Sour soup (which wasn't very spicy, had a fairly plain taste, good vegetables, but Marshall and his son found it's taste to be awful) and shrimp chips (which none of us eat). As the main dishes arrived the aspect which struck us immediately was the freshness of the ingredients (in which they take great pride based on the sign in their front window). The taste and texture did not disappoint with Marshall and Jr. rating this the best Kow Pad they can recall eating. I was very happy with mine, but the Masaman had a sweeter flavor than I'm accustom and was a little light on the spices. I would guess that Marshall and his family might be in trouble given their overwhelming good reaction (save the soup), but it is a little far for me to visit often. I was very happy and will return to try other dishes but wasn't as impressed as were they. We do give it a very high recommendation and they have very friendly and prompt service.

Darryl: 7/10
Marshall: 8/10
Jr: 8/10

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Sunny Thai:Madison Heights

While looking for Thai food near the Madison Heights MicroCenter store, we found this site through Google. Apparently it goes by different names, now Sunny Thai (the old Nak Thai Cafe name being a previous incarnation), but it's location in Google Maps was incorrect and not as close to Oakland Mall was we were lead to believe. We were a little surprised by the look of the business once located and these little strip-mall storefronts can be some of the best finds. The interior was more utilitarian that most restaurants we visit but the decorations kept us entertained in the short time we waited on the food. The most welcomed surprise was their prices were on the low side of what we normally find. Tied with the good reviews we've seen on the various site we looked forward to placing our order. As usual I started with their Ma SA Mun and Marshall the Chicken Kow Pad. Each came with their Hot & Sour soup which Marshall loved (very unusual) and nearly finished (even more uncommon). My impression was good though I thought it a little thick. As our waitress delivered our main dish we were impressed with the portion size (not overly generous but a good lunch size) and quality. Once we actually tasted our dishes we were happy to fins that it was a good taste, not as rich as we find from our top rated finds. Perhaps the most notable thing about the meal however was the fortune cookies which arrived with the check. Overall Sunny Thai provided us an excellent value and we will be returning when in the area.

Darryl: 8/10
Marshall: 8/10

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Thai Fresh:Novi

Marshall and I visited a place he spotted off I-275 at 8 Mile Road for lunch this afternoon. Thai Fresh was a nice looking diner-style Thai restaurant reasonably busy though we were able to quickly get a seat. The menu appeared to be pretty full but common, and the lunch prices about average for most Thai restaurants of its style. We quickly ordered and received our complimentary egg-drop soup. This was terrible and I wasn't able to tolerate more than a single spoon as it had more salt than I could take (it tasted as if it might have been enough salt to exceed the suggested intake for an adult male for an entire week). The chicken massaman curry I ordered (with brown rice) was presented well though with more onions than others typically include and in a smaller portion than most. Again I found it to be heavy on the salt but not as spicy as I like from my "medium" heat. Marshall on the other hand ended up with more food than expected from his chicken fried rice but wasn't impressed by it's flavor either. In both cases the rice hadn't been cooked well and we were generally disappointed. While the food wasn't good, we've had worse. The service was much the same. The icing came when we received the check and were charged an extra $1.50 for brown rice (20% the price of the entree)! This is not a restaurant to which we will be returning.

Darryl: 2/10
Marshall: 1/10

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Sala Thai IV:Troy

Sala Thai is a well know Detroit option for Thai food with four stores, the most recent occupying a former Quizno's Sub Sandwich Restaurant at 15 Mile Road and Coolidge near the Somerset Collection. Our trip for lunch on Tuesday would be our first to any of these store (at least that I could recall). The store had only been open for about a week at that point, and their website still had not been updated to include the new location, nor has the location appeared in Google Places, Urbanspoon, or Yelp. The store had been closed on and in the process of remodel for months but the Quizno's underpins were evident in the remaining bench seating, chairs, dividers, and even the empty menu board. The result is an uncomfortable mash-up of styles. I ordered the Chicken Gaeng Mud-Sa-Man while Marshall ordered the Chicken Kow Pad, both with the Tom Kha soup. I enjoyed my Tom Kha but it wasn't a flavor Marshall liked. My Mud-Sa-Man was a most unusual take on the recipe with a significant cinnamon taste and what I considered to be an Indian flavor. Marshall was pleased with his Kow Pad but didn't find it to be above the average. Overall this store deserves another trip once they've been open for a more than a few week to see how they've progressed.

Darryl: 6/10
Marshall: 7/10