Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Bangkok Grill Orem Utah

Dropped by Zurchers today and as it was lunch time we decided to give the little Thai restaurant (Bangkok Grill) next door a try for lunch.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised that a little hole in the wall place in a strip mall would have such delicious food.

First off the decor is very lacking, I wouldn't even call it minimalist, just almost non existent.  The only other customers were a small family of four and the place felt a bit dark.  The ceiling is industrial with pipe work and girders exposed, and the lighting was definitely more modern than Thai or even Asian for that matter.  Everything about the place just screams of a restaurant that is struggling to stay open.

We sat in a booth, and were immediately attended to by a very friendly server.  For drinks we ordered watermelon lemonade, which was nice, refreshing, not heavy at all, and not too sweet.  We started with Thom Ka Gai (coconut soup) which was amazing, I couldn't stop eating it.  It comes in a turnine shaped like a bundt pan with a flame in a spoon underneath.  We scooped up bowl after bowl.

We ordered separately for entrees, my daughter ordered Pineapple Curry and I ordered the Pad Priaw Waan (sweet and sour stir fry)  Both dishes were served with rice, and both were so delicious.

Thai Drift Restaurant in Orem

http://www.thaidrift.com/

Follow the link to the Thai Drift website.



This restaurant was recommended to us by our daughter's friend who lived for two years in Thailand and said this was the most authentic Thai food she has found in Utah.  I whole-heartedly agree.

The food is amazing, delicious, and very refreshing especially when compared to other Americanized versions of Asian cuisine.  Instead of the heavy, starchy, gloppy food often promoted as Asian, the ingredients are respected and the recipes are reasonable.

The menu itself is large, and varied.  Each of our eight person party ordered something different, so we had a pretty good cross sampling of the menu's offerings. We also shared a large bowl of the Galanga Coconut soup, usually called Tom Kai Gai.

The prices are reasonable, the service attentive without being intrusive.  My one suggestion would be to silence the doorbell they have going off in the back.  It's annoying and distracting.