Honolulu $$ *****
Ironically, I only started getting into Thai food since I lived in Portland, probably because Thai food is the only Asian food that Portland has a lot of. Now that I'm back in Hawaii, I can explore even more Thai restaurants.
My co-worker and I kept hearing about Payao Thai from other co-workers, so we decided to try it at lunch one day. And boy, we now understand the hype. For a mere $10 (including tip and tax), you get the following:
Choice of appetizer: I chose 3 spring rolls. Another choice was chicken wings, but I forgot the others. The spring rolls were fabulous! Crispy (but not oily) on the outside, stuffed with goodies on the insie.
Choice of rice: Steamed, brown, or sticky. I ordered steamed, but our waitress must have misheard me because she brought back sticky; I don't regret it at all -- the sticky rice was amazing!
Choice of entree: Sorry again, I don't remember the other choices, but I ordered my favorite - pad thai. You can also choose what meat you want in the pad thai. So good! The noodles were tasty, the chicken was nice and soft, and there weren't too many peanuts.
We also ordered iced coffee for $2. It was crowded because everyone was on their lunch break, but service was pretty good and very courteous. Minimal décor with a few random paintings here and there. I will definitely be eating here the next time I'm too lazy to bring a sandwich to work!
Payao Thai (Kaka'ako)
500 Ala Moana Blvd (Restaurant Row)
Honolulu, HI 96813
This is definitely PSU's version of Reed's Tom-Yum. In other words, Baan-Thai is cheap, tasty, generous with its portions, and close to campus. I had my typical pad thai and thai iced coffee - both were amazing. It's located on the second floor of a charming blue house with yellow walls and lots of artwork. Also, they play 80s love songs.
Baan-Thai Restaurant
My co-worker and I kept hearing about Payao Thai from other co-workers, so we decided to try it at lunch one day. And boy, we now understand the hype. For a mere $10 (including tip and tax), you get the following:
We also ordered iced coffee for $2. It was crowded because everyone was on their lunch break, but service was pretty good and very courteous. Minimal décor with a few random paintings here and there. I will definitely be eating here the next time I'm too lazy to bring a sandwich to work!
Tom Yum Thai Cuisine (Eastmoreland)
This is such a fun, quirky place. Located in Chelsea, this Thai restaurant was almost completely empty when we went. Apparently this restaurant was modeled after hotels in Thailand that the owner stayed at. Lots of purple doors, mirrors, and even one of those round chairs from the 60s facing the window. The food was good too, may I add. I had the pad thai, and it filled me up.
However, the best part, I must say, is the bathroom. Wow. They had way too much fun designing the bathroom. Black mosaic tiled walls, a DISCO BALL, mirrors, and dance club music blasting. If I was writing a bathroom blog, Room Service would easily win.
Room Service Restaurant (Chelsea)
