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Thai, page 1
| Chicken-stuffed bittermelon soup w/noodle at Champa Thai. |  |
The first two choices here, Singha and Keo’s, are also two of the most expensive, and with their Waikiki locations, are especially popular with our visitors. They are great places to eat, with good service and a quality that can compare to some of the more casual Pacific Rim eateries. For a more discriminating type of experience, they are hard to beat within this section, but for those simply looking for great tasting, authentic meals without the fluff, the others are just fine, if not better.
Singha Thai. 1910 Ala Moana Blvd. in Waikiki. 941-2898. Dinner nightly. Validated parking by turning up ramp on Ena Rd. at the Canterbury Place building. Prices: $$$. Map. This is the first creation of local celebrity chef/owner Chai Chaowasaree, who also opened Chai’s Island Bistro, a leading Pacific Rim restaurant, where he blends his background of Thai specialties with new-wave ideas. Although the cuisine is predominantly Thai, there are many fusion dishes like king crab cakes with mango tomato salsa, ahi katsu with wasabi curry sauce, and braised duck leg with plum wine demi-glaze. The atmosphere is elaborate, with large Buddhist statues, Thai paintings and decorations, fresh flowers, rich wood panels, elegant lighting, and even traditional Thai dancers performing nightly, between 7 and 9pm.
Keo’s. 2028 Kuhio Ave. in Waikiki adjoining the Ambassador Hotel. 951-9355. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Parking at hotel. Prices: $$$. Map. Keo’s was the first Thai restaurant in the islands to jump over into the mainstream, and has become a favorite of celebrities and dignitaries from all over the world. Owner Keo Sananikone (actually Laotian by birth) and his family also own the Mekong Thai restaurants, a grocery store, and even a farm on the North Shore, from which he supplies his mini-empire. The restaurant has all the traditional favorites, but like Singha, also carries several cross-over dishes like filet mignon with lobster or king crab, western-style BBQ ribs, and pan-fried ahi with pineapple salsa.
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Two popular dishes at any Thai Food Restaurant are the pad thai noodles and the garlic chicken, both from Mekong 2.
Mekong 1 and 2. A Closer Look. Mekong 1: 1295 S. Beretania St. in McCully/Moiliili, 591-8841, parking in lot immediately after Beretania Florist. Mekong 2: 1726 S. King St. in McCully/Moiliili (map shown), 941-6184, parking in lot behind restaurant. Lunch and dinner daily both restaurants. Prices: $$. Map. Keo Sananikone of Keo’s had his beginnings here with Mekong 1, so you know that the quality is there, just within surroundings that are a little more modest. They both have a great mee krob, or crispy noodle, that is fried as light and airy as a bag of cheetos, and comes with a very sweet, slightly sour citrus sauce. The Evil Jungle Prince is a house specialty, and is a rich coconut-milk-based curry dyed red from chili’s, and filled with basil, various vegetables, and your choice of meats or tofu. The entire menu is great and a safe bet for a first-time Thai experience.
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Shrimp "casserole" from Siam Garden near the airport. |
Siam Garden. A Closer Look. 1130 N. Nimitz Hwy. at the Nimitz Business Center in Kalihi. 523-9338. Lunch and dinner daily, late-night till 2am (food till midnight) Tuesday-Sunday, late-night till 12am on Monday. Parking in center lot. Prices: $$. Map.
Siam Garden attracts a good crowd of both local and ethnic guests, with Thai music and karaoke playing during late evenings. There are many varieties of fish, served either in slices or whole and deep-fried with eyes bulging and tails flaring, with various sauces poured over them like sweet/sour, lime juice, chili, fermented bean, and soy. There are also curries, noodle dishes, soups, salads, spring rolls, and many other traditional items. Definitely one of your better Thai restaurants! Distant relatives also own Siam Palace at 3404 Waialae ave. in Kaimuki. It is much less crowded and a bit homey, but they have the best Panang curry on the island! Both spots also offer some Vietnamese dishes, including pho, but are honest in saying that Thai, not Vietnamese, is their specialty.
Siam Garden attracts a good crowd of both local and ethnic guests, with Thai music and karaoke playing during late evenings. There are many varieties of fish, served either in slices or whole and deep-fried with eyes bulging and tails flaring, with various sauces poured over them like sweet/sour, lime juice, chili, fermented bean, and soy. There are also curries, noodle dishes, soups, salads, spring rolls, and many other traditional items. Definitely one of your better Thai restaurants! Distant relatives also own Siam Palace at 3404 Waialae ave. in Kaimuki. It is much less crowded and a bit homey, but they have the best Panang curry on the island! Both spots also offer some Vietnamese dishes, including pho, but are honest in saying that Thai, not Vietnamese, is their specialty.
Champa Thai. A Closer Look. Several locations: 98-199 Kamehameha Hwy. at the Pearl Kai S.C. across from the Pearl ridge S.C. (map shown), 488-2881; 33 Aulike St. in Kailua, 263-8281; and 2452 Waialae Ave. in Kaimuki, 732-0054. Lunch and dinner daily, except closed for lunch Friday and Saturday at Waialae Ave. location, and closed for lunch Sunday at other 2 locations. Prices: $$. Map. Another great Thai chain that is family-owned and operated. Try the combination appetizer of spring rolls, Thai toasts (minced, deep-fried shrimp with spices), chicken or beef satay sticks, and mee krob noodle to get a variety of tasteful morsels. The summer rolls are excellent, coming with with shrimp, vermicelli noodles (thank goodness, not given in huge portions to make it cheaper!), mint, basil, and carrot, along with a dip of peanut sauce. There are several pages of menu items offering a wide variety of Thai dishes, from green papaya salads to sour bamboo curries to grilled cornish game hens.
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Pepper/garlic chicken from Souvaly's in Pearl City. |
Souvaly. 803 Kamehameha hwy. at the Pearl City Business Plaza in Pearl City. 455-5888. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $$. Map. Souvaly is an excellent Thai eatery outside of the town area. The place feels more modern then traditional, with a cascading water panel to greet you at the door, fresh linen and napkins, beautiful silverware and glasses, and a generally clean, crisp atmosphere along with great service. The menu is pretty straight-forward, with your choice of meats, seafood or vegetarian dishes cooked in various styles like garlic mushroom, ginger, lemongrass, spicy chili, and golden eggplant. The mussamun beef curry is delicious and recommended here, with large, tender chunks of beef, potatoes, and carrots in a coconut milk/peanut sauce, while the Tom Yum soup is a little less tangy-sour than typical and one of the better variations I’ve tried. For dessert, the crispy-fried banana is a no-brainer, coming wrapped and deep-fried in a lumpia wrapper, sliced in two, and served with ice cream and drizzles of chocolate and what lookes like the sweet, thin caramel liquid usually served with flan.
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A killer duck with red curry at Chiang Mai. |
Chiang Mai. A Closer Look. 2239 S. King St. in McCully/Moiliili. 941-1151. Lunch Monday-Friday, dinner nightly. Parking in lot behind restaurant. Prices: $$. Map. Foods at Chiang Mai are cooked in traditional fashion, with an open air kitchen so you can keep track of the action and maybe pick up a tip or two. The service is attentive and the surroundings clean and comfortable. The Pad Thai noodles are quite refreshing and done with the freshest of ingredients, with tastes and seasonings a bit on the light side. Just about everything is good here, especially the spring rolls, crispy mee krob noodles piled high, and curries, of course.
| Thai fried chicken is a must-try at Phuket Thai, a very modern, contemporary Thai eatery. |  |
Phuket Thai. A Closer Look. 3 locations: 1960 Kapiolani Blvd. at the McCully S.C. (map shown), 942-8194; 95-1249 Meheula Parkway at the Mililani S.C., 623-6228; and 401 Kamakee st. in Kakaako, 591-8421. Prices: $$. Map. Remember, that’s pronounced poo-ket, not fuh-ket, just for all you wise guys. I know it doesn’t help that the Chinese restaurant Fook Yu-en sits right upstairs of the McCully location. All the Phuket Thai restaurants are nice and clean, and serve great Thai food. The pad thai noodles are as good as they get anywhere. The garlic anything (chicken, pork, beef, vegetarian, shrimp and scallop) is fabulous, as is the pineapple fried rice, while the crispy fried chicken, marinated in lemongrass and served with a spicy chili sauce, is one of the most popular items served.
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Thai? Maile's is the right balance of traditional and sometimes fusion dishes like this fried crepe ala mode, all in a modern, stylish atmosphere you'll enjoy! |
Maile’s Thai Bistro. A Closer Look. 333 Keahole St. at the Hawaii Kai Town Center. 394-2888. Lunch and dinner daily, late-night till 12am Friday and Saturday. Parking in Center lot. Prices: $$. Map. Out in Hawaii Kai sits a modern, stylish, very hip Thai eatery that has the backing of owner Maile and her family, who are also responsible for the mini-empire of Assaggio’s and Paesano’s. With an atmosphere where you can’t even tell you’re sitting in a Thai restaurant, and with several non-Thai dishes like seared ahi, tenderloin steak, and even pho, don’t worry about them forgetting tradition altogether. The exotic ingredients of real Thai cuisine are also used here, with excellent dishes of larb, rad na, evil jungle, mee krob, and a particularly delicious tom yum soup, to name just a few items. The lemongrass-marinated fried chicken is good enough to compete with Phuket Thai, and for desserts, definitely try the sweet mango sticky rice or better yet, the fried crepe, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzlings of chocolate sauce. Unlike most Thai restaurants, this is a great hangout for having drinks in abundance, as well. There’s no happy hour, but the atmosphere can be likened to a sort of upscale bar/grill.
