Baan Thai

<2010-06-30 Wed>

There are 7 Thai restaurants in town (2 with branches in Saanich). I
have tried the red curry of each of them. And the winner is Baan Thai
downtown.

Of course it is really difficult to compare one against another when I
ate them on different days. I have to rely on my memory, on the
ordering of the quality of these restaurants that I am building day by
day.

Baan Thai feels like a more up-scale restaurant than any of the others
(which probably is). It is a nice, bright environment, with quality
furniture, and good service. The restaurant was full when I arrived.

My opinion is that you won't be disappointed if you come here. I have
had most of the options in the menu, and they are all good (although
the pad thai is too large).

I have mentioned repeatedly that my main complain with this place is
its lack of options at lunch time (its menu hasn't changed in 9 years
I have lived in Victoria). I talked to a person who likes Baan Thai
and she said that she wants the menu to remain unchanged, so she can
always order the same. I think the solution is a "special of the
day".

Now I am tempted to come back at dinner time (or at least order take
out).

Unfortunately this visit is the last without GST. Starting tomorrow I
have a 7% inflation in the cost of my lunch :(

Verdict: The best Thai lunch in town, at one of the best prices. It is
worth a detour compared to any of the other options. It is also the
best restaurant in a this area. It will remain as one of my regular
lunch destinations, particularly the downtown branch.

Cost: 10.24 + tip

For more information, including address, visit:

Sookjai Thai

<2010-06-29 Tue>

My first impression was: "wow, this place is full". I got the
last table available. I ordered the red curry
special (again). The soup was like many others I had had: almost
tasteless, but with a good portion of vegetables.

The rolls were well cooked: cripy not but not hard. The curry
looked good: thick, with a large proportion of vegetables and
chicken. The chicken was cooked well. Unfortunately it lacked
flavour.

The food is not bad, and I got tempted to come back and have
something different. It competes head on with Baan Thai, which is
one block away. It wins in number of options at lunch time. I
would be tempted to ask people why they prefer to come here
instead of Baan Thai, given that both are so close to each
other.

My pick? Baan Thai.

Verdict: Given its proximity to Baan Thai, I'd not pick it as my
first choice.

Paid: 10.45 + tip

Little Thai

<2010-06-28 Mon>

Mondays are tricky. Many restaurants stay closed. I have been
disappointed countless times when I arrive to a place that is
closed. Do they forget people have to eat every day of the week?
Little Thai is a reliable destination: it opens every day of the week.

There are two Little Thai in the region, one in Saanich and the other
in Cook St. I visited the one at Cook St. The waiters are friendly,
and tend to recognize me, which is always a nice feeling when I enter
a restaurant.

The menu is large: their dinner menu plus lunch specials, which are
very nicely priced.

To be consistent, I ordered (again!) red curry plus a soup
(optional). The soup is a contradiction: the tastiest broth of all the
Thai restaurants I have tried, but with chicken that was badly
overcooked.

I think of all the curries I have tried this is one of my favourite. It
is dense, tasty, a touch sweet and I like the addition of eggplant,
but it is not traditional: no green pepper, no bamboo shoots. It comes
with some green vegetables and rice. The rice was perfect.

This is a very popular take out destination.

Verdict: A good Thai. Best place (by far) in its area.

Cost: 11.50 + tip

Baan Thai -- Oak Bay

<2010-06-25 Fri> Had to have a quick lunch. I ordered the L6 lunch
special and it was a good meal (it had been recommended in the past by
one of the waitresses as her favourite). Everything was nicely cooked.
Pleasant visit. What I expect from it.

I soo much wished they were running specials that showcased what the
chef/cook can do. But for the sake of uniformity (with its parent
downtown) they offer _exactly_ the same every day. Except for Wednesdays,
when they offer duck on noodles, which is quite good.

Verdict: I keep my recommendation: a solid place to eat, one of the
best Thai in Victoria (at lunch time), and one of the only two places
to eat in the area.

Cost: 10.24 + tip

For more information, including price, visit:

Siam Thai

No. 25

<2010-06-23 Wed>

It is hard to take the restaurants in the downtown core seriously. Are
they catering to the tourist, who might never come back, or to the
loyal customers who will fill tables days after day?

I have come to Siam many times, never really paying attention to its
food. Having visited several Thai restaurants in a row, I can say that
this is one of the best in Victoria (at least at Lunch time).

To be methodological I ordered what I have been ordering: lunch
special of red curry. The soup was tasty, but had a Chinese influence,
and was by no means Thai. The entree showed the same: a bunch of
stir-fried vegetables (quite good, indeed, and healthier and more
filling than a fried roll). The rice was sticky, again, showing
Chinese influence. The chef, I reckon, must be Chinese.

The curry, however, was the best I have been served so far. Full of
flavour and thick, and nicely presented.

This place offers the full menu at lunch time (I wonder if that affects
the quality of those dishes that are not specials).

Verdict: The Chinese influence would spoil the Thai experience, but
otherwise, a good choice for lunch.

Cost: 10.45 + tip.

For more information, including address, visit:

Sod-Sai Thai

No. 24

<2010-06-22 Tue>This is my first time in this place. It is a large and it most of its
tables are full. Sod-Sai has a very large lunch menu, with many
possibilities, but it is a tad pricier than the rest of the Thai
restaurants.

The food was ok. The soup was chicken stock with a lot of fresh
mushrooms thrown on top, but few vegetables otherwise. The meat
(beef) was not very good, and the curry was a bit watery, but
tasty. The best part were the rolls: nicely fried and crispy.

This visit reinforces what I have mentioned in the past: Victoria does
not have a restaurant that showcases what Thai food can be about.

I think I'll visit it again, and order something more unique to this
restaurant.

Verdict: Neutral towards avoid. At this
point I'd prefer the Green Leaf next door.

Cost: 12.50 (included the soup and apetizer) + tip. Lunch pricing.

For more information, including address, visit:

Baan Thai -- Oak Bay

No. 23

<2010-06-21 Mon> Not technically in Victoria, it is just across the border, in Oak Bay.

I got tired of the Lunch specials at Baan Thai (they are all made with
chicken, and haven't changed in years). But after having visited many
of the Thai restaurants in town I realice that they are not bad at
all.

I would say that if you want Thai food this is a reliable destination. Be warned, the place gets
full.

Verdict: There are only two places I'd recommend in the area, and
this is one of them. Price is reasonable, food good. A solid place to
eat, but I would not go out of my way to eat here.

Cost: 10 + tip. Lunch pricing.

For more information, including address, visit:

Thai Bistro

<2010-06-05 Sat> Having visited My Thai the day before, I felt it was a good way to compare them. I had the same meal (red curry), and it was clear that Thai Bistro is superior. Their red curry is tasty. Overall a significantly better product, at a cheaper price (I paid 8.75 +tip).

It was however, a bit of a strange experience: I came at 12:30 (Saturday) and was the only customer. The business next door was blooming, though.

Cost: 8.75 + tip for a lunch special. Lunch pricing.

Verdict: Neutral. If you really want Thai, go for it. It is as good or better than most in town (that does not mean much though, see my review of the other Thai rest.). It is also a cheap destination.

For more information, including address, visit:

My Thai

<2010-06-03 Thu> Victoria lacks a good, signature Thai
restaurant. Although we have several ones, none of them raises. They
tend to attack the cheap section of the market rather than offer us
the greatness of that the Thai cuisine can be. My Thai Cafe sits
towards the bottom of the pile. The lunch special was nothing special,
in fact, it felt more like comfort food (without its own character,
both in presentation and flavour). Of the Thai restaurants in the
area, I think I prefer Sookjai Thai, but not by much. If you can, walk
to a bit farther and have lunch at Baan Thai, it is better, although
the prices are one or two dollars higher for the lunch specials.

Verdict: Avoid

Cost: Around 10 + tip. Lunch pricing.