Unlike many pretenders, Burnaby eatery delivers the genuine article
Katya Holloway
Sun
Sunida Sirisuwan of the Thai Cafe with chicken cashew nuts, red curry chicken lunch combo and chicken satay and peanut sauce. Photograph by : Jenelle Schneider, Vancouver Sun
Dining out in Thailand is typically a no-frills affair. Many eateries are a hodgepodge of mismatched tables and chairs, pictures in gold-coloured frames nailed to the walls, and fans whirring overhead.
It’s the food that leaves the lasting impression.
If you’ve travelled to Thailand, you’ll understand where I’m heading with this. You see, good Thai restaurants — and by that, I mean authentic — are hard to find in Metro Vancouver.
Many establishments shamelessly proffer themselves as a Thai eatery, only to churn out a curry-shop mishmash of Chinese and western fare.
They pay too much attention to decor, and not enough detail to dishes.
Pad Thai is often obliterated with tomato sauce; curries are bland, slapped together with little preparation.
Having spent a couple of months travelling Thailand, I’ve come to appreciate the clean, light flavours of traditional dishes.
They are not drenched in heavy sauces, and are best sprinkled with freshly chopped Asian chili peppers.
Thai Cafe in Burnaby is as authentic as it gets. Don’t be fooled by its modern exterior signage.
The restaurant may appear western from the street, but a closer look reveals a true Bangkok-style cafe setting inside, complete with a sparsely decorated room, Thai panels draping the windows and — best of all — a menu featuring Papaya salad, Yum Nua (beef salad), Kang Masaman (yellow curry), Pad Thai and Pad See-ew.
Co-owner and chef Sunida Sirisuwan hails from the northeast Thai province of Roi Et. She moved to Bangkok when she was young, where she refined her cooking techniques, and emigrated to Vancouver 19 years ago.
Thai Cafe was opened four years ago with co-owner Melany Yeap, who also originates from Thailand.
When I visited on a recent Wednesday night, the restaurant was surprisingly half-filled with chatty diners, many of them families. It has a casual, holiday atmosphere that brings back many fond travel memories.
If I were to fault this place, it would only be that their wine and beer list is sparse, with just Kokanee and Singha to choose from, and a slim selection of wines. As for the menu, Sirisuwan purchases her ingredients fresh daily from the local markets. She says her most popular dishes include all the curries, Pad Thai and chicken cashew.
“My customer who live in this area come for Masaman curry,” she explained, over a later telephone interview. “All the curry I make my own — all the sauce, plus salad.”
The yellow curry was definitely a highlight, with bold flavour and chunks of pineapple, chicken and onion. The duck red curry was also well-received around the table, filled with grapes, peppers, pineapple and bamboo shoots. All dishes are extremely affordable, around the $10 mark.
My Australian husband astounded the chef by ordering his Thai beef salad xx-hot, and he maniacally persevered through it, sweat beading his forehead. At the end, he defiantly declared to have found a new location to get his chili “hit.”
A stand-out dessert was the deep-fried banana with ice-cream.
It came in a lightly coated, slightly sweet batter, that could end any lifelong banana boycott.
Of course, as mentioned earlier, the real determining factor to test a Thai restaurant’s authenticity is its Pad Thai, and we were pleased to discover this dish is cooked in the traditional manner, explained Sirisuwan.
“We never use tomato sauce [in Pad Thai]. Use tamarind sauce,” she said.
Well, thank goodness for that.
THAI CAFE
Overall: ****
Food: ****1/2
Ambience: ***1/2
Service: ****
Price: $/$$
4160 E. Hastings, Burnaby
604-299-4525
www.thaicafe.ca
Hours of operation:
Monday to Friday: Lunch 11 a.m to
3 p.m., dinner from 5 to 9:30 p.m.
Saturday: Lunch from 12 noon to 3 p.m., dinner from 5 to 9:30 p.m.
Sunday: Closed
© The Vancouver Sun 2008