After our brief browsing and shopping foray at Hong Kong Market, we made our way in the slowly rising heat to Krua Thai.
Though only on the other side of the mall, the heat almost got the better of us, and we almost 
stopped at other restaurants twice. But after reading Elmo's Krua Thai review on Monster Munching, I really wanted to give this restaurant a try. After what seems like a half hour (it's amazing how the heat can really slow you down) we crawled in through the door at Krua Thai. The first thing the Missus said was "Picturessss, I like pictures!" She has a thing about food photo's, I guess they help her make decisions on what to order. Though they sometimes sent her into complete analysis paralysis. The decor in Krua Thai is nice in a Eighties kind of way – the only thing odd is that the counter area is separated from the dining area by a divider, which has a sofa on one side. I found that a bit odd. I did like the glass exterior of the restaurant, though the view of Glendora Ave is less than thrilling, it kept the restaurant from being too dark.
After seeing the Pad Kee Mao($5.25) on Pam's site Daily Gluttony, I knew that I needed to order it.
The Pad Kee Mao($5.25) was cooked to perfection, the noodles smooth and slightly firm, provided the perfect amount of resistance. The ground chicken was excellent, the chunks not too small, moist, and with a nice taste. The tomatoes were tangy and added a nice sweetness to the dish. I'd have enjoyed the Pad Kee Mao alot more if it was more aggressively seasoned, in my opinion, it was not spicy enough, and there was not enough basil. The menu says mint, but it was Thai Basil that was in this dish. Good, not great.
Green Papaya Salad with dried shrimp and salty crab ($4.75):
I'm a big fan of Papaya Salad, in fact, one of the dishes I had the first time I ate Thai food was Green Papaya salad. I usually don't order Papaya Salad in most Thai restaurants, because I'm usually disappointed. It's usually a sour – salty mess, especially with salty crab. This version was very good, the papaya and beans crunchy; the tomatoes added sweetness, the chewy texture of the shrimp, and the briny crab together created a nice dish. I could've done with a bit more heat, but I'd order this refreshing dish again.
On the other hand, the Nam($4.95), or sour sausage was a complete failure:
Bland and mushy, this almost tasteless sausage was totally over-powered by any of the "garnishes".
We also ordered the Catfish with Chili Sauce($6.50):
The catfish was fried than topped with a sauce that featured Thai Basil, Mint, and Kaffir Lime, this was nice and tasty, though again it could have used a bit more heat. The catfish was prepared well, but you'll have to maneuver around some tiny bones. A nice dish with rice.
The best? The Papaya Salad; the "dressing" was excellent, darker than any I've seen, with sweet, sour, and salty tones. The Missus ended up pouring the dressing over rice to finish up.
You'll be really hard pressed to find anything over $6.95 on the menu, and the hours are great. The Missus first glanced at the hours and said, "so this place is only open for lunch". I had to show her it's 11am to 330am, that's three thirty in the morning. I'd say you get your money's worth here.
Krua Thai
935 South Glendora Ave.
West Covina, CA 91790
Open Daily 11am to 330am
WOW, Can you transport the restaurant over here? LOL I envy you guys! LOL Years ago I heard about Papaya salad. I heard so much about it that I was so looking forward to having it for the first time, and then I tried it. Oh I hated it. *sigh* maybe I will try it again some time,
Hi Mills – The prices here are really good. I’ve had more lousy Papaya Salads than good ones. This one was pretty good. I’d suggest getting it as simple (w/o salted crab)as possible first.
Chilli mmm chilli! is such an important ingrediant in That food! I wish they would ask first before giving you the mild option! (sorry jo)
And I think that is all about that blance of hot sour salty which when right is soooo good when done badly is just so WRONG!!!
Your shot of the menu was great. I enlarged the menu’s picture by clicking on it but then saved it to “My Pictures,” to get a still bigger enlargement. Great table side service Kirk. Could you call my waitress over, please? I’ll be ordering No. 22. WonTon Soup. And by the way, I have to catch a flight.
Hi Kirk,
The food looks quite good. Sorry to hear about the sausage though. =(
Kirk,
That sausage looks so pale! It looks raw! I’ve never ordered it, but darn, that’s one I think I would’ve been afraid to eat, let alone enjoy. I remember the Thai Sausage at Lotus of Siam and it at least was grilled to a dark brown…I didn’t like LoS’s version much, but I think it had to be better than Krua Thai’s just by looking at it.
I’m glad you enjoyed the other dishes though…and I love seeing your perspectives on restaurants that I’ve been to.
Hi Clare – You know, come to think of it, they never asked us about heat – though the Papaya Salad had ok heat, but I could’ve done with more.
Hi RONW – I remembered to get a shot of the menu for you. One #22 coming right up! But you better get here quick before it get’s cold!
Hi Reid – I don’t know why I picked the sausage….but everything else was pretty good, and the prices are great!
Hi Elmo – Yes, that sausage was kinda scary – you know how you poke at things to make sure it’s not alive – I actually did that. Everything else was good, I enjoyed the Papaya Salad. And likewise – I enjoyed your review of Phuong Tran and am looking forward to one on DaoSon.
Kirk,
I will have to retry it sometime soon, and maybe I will ask for no saled shrimp/crab, and see if I like it then.
Clare,
Yeah most places usually give everyone a mild option here too, although there are several really good ones here who ask how mild to wild you want to go. One time I asked for wild, and I couldn’t finish my lunch. But the burn was so good, and not to mention all the water works accompanying it. I like it spicy but that was way over the top. π
When you have a cold the waterworks are great milly π
Kirk
I think we need to start asking what temp the food will be π
Kirk,
Now I know never to order the Thai sausage from there! The papaya salad looks great though.
Funny enough, I ordered some pad kee mao from the NoHo location for take out the other day and it wasn’t as good as the first time. The 1st one I had was a lot more spicy. Hmm, must’ve been an off day.
Great review!
Clare,
I totally agree with the water works helping with the cold. Some Koreans believe that during the summer you must eat spicy and hot (temp) foods to balance all the cold fods eaten during summer, and they will also cool you down. I have to agree it is kind of refreshing to eat a hot spicey soup in the summer sometimes, but I still have to have my ice cream!
Geez Kirk, first you complain about it being to hot, then not hot enough… ::wink::
Clare, what kind of food is the Ayam Bakar and Goreng? Indo? Malay? Thai? I’m planning to try the goreng this week.
Hi Mills – Yes, try the Papaya Salad plain first, you might like it. It’s very refreshing.
Hi Clare – If the waiter/waitress asks for a “heat” level, I’ll let them know. But if not, I won’t ask on the first visit, because that reflects on service and how the restaurant operates as a whole. My assumption is that either the restaurant considers the food to be optimum at a specific (default) spice/heat level, or the Wait help hasn’t been trained to ask.
Hi Pam – Yes, the sausage was sort of anemic, not a very good choice on our part. The Pad Kee Mao could’ve used a bit more thai basil. Maybe different cook on different day, perhaps?
Hi Jo – Internal Heat – Good, external heat – bad!!! LOL!;o)
::laughing:: You just can’t make some folks happy can you? ;o)
Speaking of sausage, have you worked through your supply from Dittmer’s? Come up with a favorite? What about the ham?
I’m planning on purchasing a supply to take east!
Hi Jo – The Ham was awesome – we ate ham-egg toast sandwiches for a few days straight – the Paprika Sausages are still the fav – though we haven’t finished yet. I’m having beer braised brat’s with sauerkraut sometime this week!
I guess I’ll have to send you a few before we vanish to the east coast huh? I’ve got to get a supply of ham and bacon!
Jo It is Indonesian π
ahHA! Cool, yet another enterprise cooking in my pea brain… this time Dee is behind it as well. Thank you!
Jo – The ham is delici-yoso….
Is that a none to subtle hint there Kirk? ;o) I love how sweet the meat is because they haven’t over salted the curing solution. Then dry smoked. Wonderful stuff. You know, they make Canadian bacon as well. They stock REAL holland rusk over at the Milk Pail so I can make the original style of eggs benedict. I like the english muffin style, but the holland rusk really gives the dish a unique flavor and mouth feel.
Hi Jo – No it’s not a hint. I’m sure we’ll stop by if/when we’re in the area again. They do a wonderful job there!
i love krua thai! i actually tried the krua thai restaurant located in north hollywood. they have very cheap prices and overall a very unique, distinctive style in terms of how they prepare food. i tried their tom kha and their pad thai — my usual favorites, and they cooked it in ways that were very different from the way other restaurants cook it. but it was a good “different” — the type that makes you sit up and say, “wow!” plus it’s cheap cheap cheap! i just wish we lived closer to LA… =)
Hi Annie – Krua Thai is very inexpensive and a bargain for the price. If you have a chance try Renu Nakorn in Norwalk – or if you’re ever in Vegas – do Lotus of Siam – best Thai food I’ve had hands down!