Khao San Road

Since the close down of our favourite Thai restaurant - Buon Thai - in downtown Edmonton, I have been craving good quality Thai food for a long time.  Khao San Road of Toronto have highly regarded reviews on multiple sites.  So we decide to give it a try.  First of Khao San Road does not take any reservations,  so you will have to get in line and leave your phone number.  We went on a Thursday night and waited for about 40-50 minutes since 5:30pm. Even waiting outside, you can smell the aroma of the Thai spices making you hungrier as you wait.  Khao San Road has two menus - a regular menu and a vegan friendly menu.  Great news for vegans!  With our research on reviews, we decided to order three dishes (extra to take home) ;)  We ordered Khao Soi, Chef's special Pad Thai, and a yellow curry.  I was most impressed by Khao Soi - it has tender beef brisket pieces egg noodles in a curry based soup.  The Chef's special Pad Thai was a bit too flavorful for me, a bit too tangy for my liking.  My friend Ply, who is Thai, did mention Thai people love the combination of sour and spicy and sweet.  And finally we had the yellow curry with beef with coconut rice.  The yellow curry was really nice - soft potatoes and tender beef slices... but since the base is very similar to Khao Soi I get the two flavours mixed up.  Khao San Road also have Panang, Red, and Green curries to pick from.  I like how they allow you to pick any protein you want for you curry.  You can choose from tofu, beef, chicken or pork, or with a dollar extra with shrimp.  Other items we would like to try are the Squash Fritters (Gra Bong) and Garlic Deep Fried Tofu.  Portion of food is a bit smaller than normal restaurants.  I would say the portion is enough for a single girl's meal, but small for a boy's appetite.  One other thing I didn't like is that the seats are bar stools, and there is no place to put your jacket, makes it uncomfortable to sit for very long.  Despite this, I think their flavors are authentic Thai cuisine and I would come back.


Khao San Road
326 Adelaide West
Entertainment District
Toronto, ON
http://www.khaosanroad.ca/

Khao Soi ($14)
Egg noodles in a coconut milk enriched curry, garnished with crispy noodles, green onion, coriander and lime. Choice of Chicken ($13) or beef brisket ($14).

Chef's Special Pad Thai (Sam Roas) ($15)
Three flavours style - sweet, sour, and savory. Topped with home roasted peanuts, dried chillies, and freshly squeezed lime juice for that extra kick.

Gaeng Graree (Yellow Curry with Beef) ($13)
A thicken curry dish that has more tumeric than other Thai curries. Choice of tofu, chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp (add $1).