Exterior
Banana Sticky Rice
Pad See Ew(These pictures were taken off the Thai Pavilion website)
Walking up to the Thai Pavilion I couldn’t help but think I was in for third rate Asian cuisine. I found it hard to believe that this could be a delightful experience upon seeing the trashy ripped up awning and the less than impressive location, but looks can be deceiving. Upon entering, I was bombarded with the lovely aroma of Asian cuisine which lured me in and asked me to stick around; I came to find out that when I gave this restaurant a chance, I was pleasantly surprised.
When I first noticed the please seat yourself sign, I thought it contributed to the laid back atmosphere. I quickly realized I had to seat myself because the entire restaurant is being waited on by one waitress. She was efficient and as Cavya Sharma, a fellow restaurant patron, said, “… [the waitress] wasn’t unfriendly, just frazzled.” She was not sitting around, as the restaurant was busy and she was running to keep up, but service was slow regardless. Looking around the restaurant, it is furnished with mismatched tables and chairs, and pieces of art that look like they came from Goodwill, and the clearance rack of Wal-Mart. Nevertheless, it was not uninviting and it was clean.
When I opened my menu I found a pleasant mix of entrees with reasonable prices. The items on their menu are Thai cuisine. My company, Cavya, thought, “they had all the normal stuff,” basic things expected to be on a Thai menu. The highest priced items were seafood which topped off at $9.95, and the most expensive item was duck curry for $10.95. The appetizers ranged from $4.95 for egg rolls to $12.95 for an appetizer sampler, entrée items averaged $7.95 to $8.95, and desserts ranged from $2.00 to $4.50. The average bill is about $15, and the food is delicious and well worth the price.
When our waitress finally got around to us, we ordered egg rolls and wonton soup for appetizers, and green curry, basil fried rice, and pad see ew for entrees. The wonton soup was delicious; it was made with perfectly seasoned chicken broth and filled with fresh green onion, wontons, and chicken. It was hot, fresh, and overall delicious. The egg rolls tasted above average, because they were thin and crispy, and not greasy or overcooked. Entrees came out, fifteen minutes later. The green curry was served with white rice and filled with chicken, basil, and vegetables such as: eggplant, peppers, peas, green beans, and bamboo. I enjoyed it but when I asked Cavya, she said, “it was pretty good [but] a little bland.” The next entrée I tried was mouthwatering spicy beef and basil fried rice. The last dish I tried was pad see ew, a noodle dish with: beef, broccoli, and wide rice noodles. It was sweet compared to the two spicy dishes, but equally delectable. The portions were big and we took food home, but we found room for two desserts, mango and banana sticky rice. The mango sticky rice included sliced mango, and sticky rice with sweetened coconut milk on top. Although unusual, it was agreeable. The banana sticky rice was wrapped in banana leaf and the banana was a pink fleshy color. I couldn’t help but feel I was chewing on a chunk of flesh. Needless to say, I preferred the mango.
The Thai Pavilion surprised me. Despite the odds being against them, the food more than made up for it. This was a great place to relax, eat, and spend time with friends. I would not recommend coming here if you are in a rush, but if you are hungry for Asian and have some time and company, then look no further then Thai Pavilion.
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Thai Pavilion
131 E. Lincoln HwyDeKalb, Illinois
(815) 756-6445
http://thaipavilionskokie.com/
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