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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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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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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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