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Khao San Road

by - October 04, 2013

There aren't that many Thai restaurants uptown where I live so I usually have to trek downtown for it. A friend and I decided to meet up for dinner to catch up over some Thai food. She recommended Khao San Road as she ate there before, and liked it. The place is a small restaurant offering several authentic Thai dishes. It is named after a street in Bangkok, Thailand, that is now commonly known as a "backpacker ghetto".


We arrived a little after 6:00 pm and noticed that there was a small line already forming (they open for dinner at 5 pm). One of waitresses then took down the names of the people in lines, and names would be called once the tables are unoccupied. My friend and I were seated at a long communal table that was occupied by a party of 8 people (who were together). Honestly, I am so used to eating at establishments with communal tables that it doesn't ruin my dining experience (as some people do like privacy more than others).

My friend had a very heavy lunch at her workplace, so she ordered a drink and fresh rolls (po pia pak sod gai yaw) ($7.00) which were filled with homemade chicken sausage, lettuce, carrots, mint leaves, and Thai basil. It was served with tamarind sauce topped with peanuts and coriander. I tried a roll and thought that it was a light appetizer to start with. 


I opted for the Pad Thai (street style) ($14.00) which seems to be getting consistent high reviews online. The dish was delicious and I liked the combination of the savory flavor of both sweet and spicy. Additionally, the fresh noodles are stir-fried in tamarind sauce so there's no ketchup flavoring to the Pad Thai. However, I made the biggest mistake in getting "Thai Spicy" as I initially thought that I had a high tolerance of spice ... I was very wrong. I started to tear up badly but that's another story on its own.

Despite my lack of judgement over my tolerance of spice; I thought the service was great. Our waitress saw my "silent cry of pain" and asked if "I was doing okay?". After telling her that I was okay; she walked away only to return a few minutes later with a complimentary Thai iced tea. She was friendly to begin with but I really did appreciate this gesture on her part.

The Thai iced tea ($4.50) is an infusion of Thai spices and black tea mixed with condensed milk and served with ice. It is a very refreshing drink that compliments the spicy dishes.


RATINGS:

Quality of Food: 4.4/5
Service: 4.5/5
Overall Dining Experience: 4.4/5
Price: $$ || Online Menu

Address: 326 Adelaide St W, Toronto, ON, M5V 1P7

Khao San Road on Urbanspoon

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