ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
From the outside, you would never guess what the inside is like. Curtains are perpetually drawn over windows on the storefront that's half sheathed in plywood, half in brick, milk chocolate in color. There is likewise no indication that a restaurant occupies the space, let alone a Thai one. A small sign written in Thai and two elephant statues on the... Continue Reading →
Front Street in downtown Issaquah is diverse, culinarily speaking. BBQ, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, pastrami and seafood restaurants are within easy walking distance of each other. And, of course, in a class by itself is Max's World Cafe. A friend and I were headed to Max's today for lunch when we spotted Coconut Thai Restaurant, across the street from... Continue Reading →
I've posted before that Noodle Boat in Issaquah serves some of the best Thai food in the Seattle area. The current special is called Rice 'n Spicy, which seems like deconstructed fried rice. What made it extraordinary was saucy and spicy rice, likely a combination of nam pla and sweet soy sauce, with plenty of tongue-searing heat (I... Continue Reading →
When Chef Angus An used tamarind sauce and palm sugar to make pad thai, Thai food lovers in Vancouver were introduced to an authentic flavor. There was no ketchup (or peanut butter). The striving for taste authenticity while using local ingredients has been a hallmark of An's. He's also a perfectionist who would go to great lengths to get... Continue Reading →
It's a reality that in the U.S., it's hard to find street food. You know, when you can buy locally prepared food from street vendors or carts that specialize in a single item (or two). The closest we've come to it are the hot dog or ice cream carts, but they're few and far between, certainly not part of a crowded phalanx of... Continue Reading →
Isarn Thai Soul Kitchen has an uncommon menu, at first glance more interesting than the run-of-the-mill Thai restaurant. The menu is limited, concentrating on what the Facebook page says are Thai comfort foods. Its name implies the regional cooking of Isan (Isarn). It does not serve, for example, phad thai during the dinner hour (though it now does for the... Continue Reading →
My wife and I made arrangements to have dinner with a couple of friends at one of our favorite Chinese restaurants (Shanghai Cafe), but when we arrived, a sign posted on the door informed that the kitchen was undergoing renovation for another two days. One of our friends then suggested Thai Ginger, right around the... Continue Reading →
I'm dog-sitting my daughter's dog while she and my wife are in California for my wife's father's birthday. One of the benefits of doing this is that I have the vast domain of Ballard's restaurants to choose from for five days, all within walking distance. I won't do this for all three squares; I'll likely... Continue Reading →
I pondered whether to submit yet another review of Pestle Rock, the outstanding Isan Thai restaurant in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, but a couple of unusual dishes (unusual for us who live thousands of miles from Thailand) tipped the balance in favor of it. The original post was a lunchtime meal; the other a... Continue Reading →
Years ago, when I worked in Renton, a group of us used to go to Bai Tong for lunch, a Thai restaurant that was located on Airport Way near SeaTac airport. The interesting backstory is that an ex-Thai Airways flight attendant wanted to make familiar foods available to the Thai Airways crew on layover in... Continue Reading →
zoomeboshi 