Di Chan has been on my "list" since recommended by a friend a few months back, we live only a few minutes away, so we finally decided to pay Di Chan a visit:
On this day, the Missus and I were having what I call a "reverse-Atkins" moment. That is we were craving carbs. Obviously there's no way the Atkins Diet would work for us! As a matter of fact I often have my Reverse Atkins breakfast at work – hash browns, breakfast potatoes, and toast. As we entered the strip mall storefront I felt somewhat claustrophobic at the entrance hallway:
We were seated in the small dining area to the left of the hallway. Our next surprise (gasp) was when we opened the menu. We had last had Thai Food at Krua Thai in West Covina, and were really hard pressed to find any dish over $6.95. At Di Chan, there are no noodle or entree below $8.95; talk about a dose of San Diego reality! In need of a starch fix we ordered the Pad Thai, Spicy Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp, and for some protein a Beef Salad ($8.95):
I've got to say that this was the most beef I've ever seen in a Beef Salad. The strange thing with this was that the Beef was stir fried than tossed with the salad, thus the "salad" was extremely warm, partially cooking the cucumber and other vegetables; not quite the refreshing salad I had in mind. Also though the dressing is described as a spicy lime dressing, this salad had a bit too much fish sauce for my taste, and we even had to ask for extra lime to squeeze over the salad. The heat level though, was perfect.
The Pad Thai($9.15) was delivered next:
In contrast to the salad, the Pad Thai was much to sweet, and could've used the fish sauce used in the salad. We also added lime juice to this dish as well. The noodles were cooked to a perfect al dente, the shrimp were also cooked perfectly, the fried tofu added a nice texture, though the chicken was overcooked, dry and stringy.
The Spicy Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp ($9.95) arrived last:
The rice was done well, though I wished they used a bit more Thai Basil in this dish. The Missus enjoyed this dish more than I did. There was a bit of the essence and carmelization of the wok in this dish, but not enough to pull it over mediocre in my book.
A few notes; Di Chan really feels alot smaller than it is, if that's possible. The service is very nice; in fact the Manager (Owner?) stopped over and started discussing Gas Prices with us. Most of the menu items are of the standard "pick your protein/pick your sauce" type.
Di-Chan Thai Restaurant
5535 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117