PROFILE: O Thai

O Thai
1626 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C.
map
604-731-4888
email: info@othai.ca



“Oh terrific, another Thai restaurant,� you say. We say, “Ooh. Terrific!� Especially O Thai’s version of refined, modern Thai cuisine.

The owners of the new restaurant that has moved into the space on West Broadway formerly occupied by Tamarind, are a transplanted New Yorker of Thai Heritage, Luck Sarabhayavanija, and his wife Anne Fernando, a Vancouverite whose parentage is Malay.

The kitchen is in the capable hands of Thai-born Chef Sanya Phromajunya, also from NYC. CIA trained, he’s worked in top Manhattan Thai restaurants as well as European restaurants and hotels around the world. He met Luck when the two were working at a Thai restaurant in New York and was persuaded to come to Vancouver.

What sets O Thai apart from other Thai restaurants in this city is the food (that Luck says has “roots deep in 1,000 years of traditional Thai cuisine) presented in combination with a contemporary upbeat setting.� Chef Phromajunya adds, “It’s my interpretation of Thai food for the modern era.�

So what’s on the menu? A must try starter ( arhan wang) is bak mawk, cloud-light steamed Thai dumplings – a labour-intensive hand-made specialty of Chef Phromajunya that are so good he supplied many of New York’s top Thai restaurants. (They must be pretty sore now that he’s on the opposite side of the continent.) Others are pla muk tod, ethereal crispy baby squid; and tom yung kung, a fragrant broth with lemon grass, prawns, galangal, mushrooms); taleh pao, grilled seafood with mango salad. Among the stand out mains are pad thai (if you’ve been to Thailand this authentic version will transport you), kaeng panaeng kung, red curry with prawns; and ped lad prig, crispy roasted duck with garlic, chilis, mushrooms and tamarind sauce.

The menu is wide ranging and incorporates 75 dishes from the chef ‘s 1,000-recipe repertoire. “Narrowing the menu down was a belt expanding experience�, admits Luck who had the daunting task of taste testing all the options. Needless to day, seasonal changes and specials will be a given. Also wonderfully tasty are steak Laotian, Royal Chicken, satays, and crab, all worth second visits.

O Thai’s western presentation offers a pleasant balance of the foreign and the familiar. All dishes are served spiced medium (hot or not on request). Desserts? Do it.

Service is gracious and genial, the room a study in cool aesthetics, a perfect backdrop for simple, elegant orchids. Score a back table and you’ll have a great view of the kitchen in action, and once the lounge is complete you might even catch Anne, an accomplished singer providing the entertainment. (Andre St. Jacque regularly hires her musicality for his New Year’s galas at Bearfoot Bistro).

FILED BY: Judith Lane
DATE: October 15, 2006
PHOTOS BY: Delainy Mackie

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ALL THE FACTS

Cuisine: Thai

Price:

Hours:

Credit Cards:

Opened: October, 2006

Owners: Luck Sarabhayavanija and Anne Fernando.

Chef: Sanya Phromajunya

Specialties: Light, innovative fare based on traditional, festive Thai recipes. The chef roasts and custom blends the spices and other seasonings used in his dishes, by hand from his own secret recipes.

The Must Try Dish: bak mawk (steamed Thai dumplings), ped lad prig (crispy roasted duck), and if they have it, don’t miss the the "emerald lobster". .

Other Features:

Dress: You'll wish you were as elegant and stylish as the room.

Seats:

Noise level: moderate

Categories: Westside, Thai, A place to Woo,

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OTHER OPINIONS