Kat's 9 Lives

Where would be a good place to go after a nice relaxing time at a Korean Bath House? Well for some odd reason I normally get something heavy like Korean BBQ. Not today, I wanted to try something new and tasty. Vientiane Restaurant (Lao & Thai Food) popped up on my radar and I decided that it was time for something new. They are located in a tiny strip mall that can seem a little iffy/sketchy at night, but don't worry there's plenty of parking spaces! Limited seating inside because they are a tiny Mom & Pop shop.
Since I was a bit dehydrated from the bath house, it was nice to have a refreshing glass of Thai Iced Tea.
Their Grilled Marinated Beef (Sua Rong Hai), $5.99, was what really caught my eye. How can I pass up a dish described as grilled tender marinated beef and served with a hot & sour sauce? The meat was very tender but certain chunks had tendons that made it super chewy. Overall the meat was tasty and soft. You pair it with the delectable sauce and wrap the whole thing in a side of cabbage. Normally I don't condone the usage of veggies but the bitterness of the cabbage mixed with the spicy & sour sauce really makes the sweet and savory flavors pop!
No meal is complete without rice and for me at a Thai restaurant it is the Thai Fried Rice! Mmmm! I got the Pork Thai Fried Rice to munch on the side. The rice was very fragrant and nicely stir-fried. A little on the light side but nothing that a little soy sauce couldn't fix. =)
I debated for a while on whether I should get dessert but I caved in the end. The Loti (Thai Crêpes) with Condensed Milk, $1.50, was too great of a deal to pass up! You get a nicely pan-fried crispy pancake rolled with sweet condensed milk. Yummy! One thing though, man this is one OILY dessert! Be sure to use a napkin to absorb the excess oil so you won't feel as guilty. Don't share! Get one for yourself to enjoy! ^_-
All in all I think this a very nice hole in the wall, local place, to enjoy good eats at a great price. Recently I ordered take out and it was just as good. I will definitely be back in the future and most likely after Korean Bath House... come to think of it... that was when I ordered take out too! lol

Vientiane Restaurant (Lao & Thai Food)
10262 Westminster Avenue
Garden Grove, CA 92843
(714) 530-7523

Feeling like a Thai dessert? Well look no further. BKT, Bhan Kanom Thai, is right around the corner. I wanted to get Mango Sticky Rice at Red Corner Asia but Hellobear talked me out of it because she believes the dessert is much better at BKT. Might as well listen to the expert in this neck of the woods. She convinced me by saying it would be cheaper and better than ordering at the restaurant. I willingly agreed because I was curious what other Thai desserts are available and what else I could write about! =D
From the outside it might look a little dinky, but inside is very nice and clean. The staff were very friendly and answered all my questions since I was in unfamiliar territory. They have a few hot snacks and deserts in the case that looked very tempting. If I wasn't so full from lunch and had dinner plans in less than an hour, I'd be all over the various treats. I was surprised to see they offered shaved ice so similar to the Taiwanese style. There were a few more selections of toppings than what I am use to, one being Pandan. I'm very curious to try their Pandan flavored desserts, but maybe next time.
At first I was really disappointed because there wasn't any Mango Sticky Rice to be found anywhere. I surveyed the entire store looking for my favorite dessert and when I finally reached where I started, they brought out stacks of Mango Sticky Rice! WOOHOO! The mango looked super ripe and delicious. It took all the power I had not to grab the entire stack for home. I controlled the urge and only bought two packs that I carefully picked out. O=) The mangoes were ripe and sweet. I found the sticky rice to be a bit on the drier and chewier side, but overall tasted fine. They include a small container of coconut milk, which wasn't that sweet. Overall it was a solid dessert because the mangoes were really good and it was only $5 for the box, which is not bad.
There were a bunch of tempting treats by the register to get you at your purchase. I admit that I was caught in their tempting web. They were all very colorful and cutely crafted. How can you say no to miniature sized treats? lol I asked what was in each treat and decided to go with the Mochi with Black Sugar and shredded Coconut on top. Not really sure what its real name is but it looked good. The texture was soft and chewy. To me, it was a little too sweet so I let my Aunt devour the entire thing. In reality, I woke up the next day they were all gone... lol
All in all it was a nice little treat and there's so much more for me to explore. I am not sure if it is the best dessert in Thai Town, but it's definitely worth a try. They have so many packaged items that sounded good. I wish I could have took everything home with me but then I will need to be rolled home. If you are in the area and looking for a sweet treat, I recommend stopping by to check it out. They are in the same plaza as Red Corner Asia so you can park for free in the day time too. I'll definitely be back for the Mango Sticky Rice.

Bhan Kanom Thai (BKT)
5271 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 871-8030

Venture down to Hollywood's Thai Town for the best deals and authentic cuisine. Tucked away from the bustling areas of Hollywood Blvd is Red Corner Asia. Inside this shopping center there's a wide selection of delectable Thai restaurants. Hellobear recommended that we try Red Corner Asia for their Crab Pad Thai. I have been meaning to explore Thai Town more. My previous journey was only limited to Palm Thai. I have yet to breach the barrier and enter Thai Town, so it was a perfect day to explore. One of the benefits from being away from the Pantages Theater is that they offer free parking in the day time. At night time they start having valet parking and charge a fee, but if you get there before 5PM you can park there the whole time without paying. O=P
Red Corner Asia believes that Thai food's distinctive taste is because of the wonderful combination of herbs, spices, fish sauce, and lime to seal in the flavor. Tradition states that you should always start off the meal with a nice cool glass of Thai Ice Tea. Well, at least I think you should because its deliciously sweet and really hits the spot. If you plan to eat spices that will set your mouth ablaze like I do, then the Thai Ice Tea will really come in handy and cool you down.
On my recent trip up to SF I found a few new favorite Thai dishes. Sadly the Thai restaurants around OC don't have as authentic of an offering so I was ecstatic to see they offered them here! First off the bat was S12. Yum Roast Duck, which is sliced Roast Duck tossed in Spicy Lime Juice and served on a bed of Lettuce. This was a bit different from what I had up in SF, but still tasty. The duck and tangy lime juice really help bring out the sweetness of the raw lettuce. All the herbs, spices, and tangy lime juice come together nicely. I should have opted to get this dish a little more spicy for more of a kick. The reason I really like this dish is that I get tons of duck meat nicely sliced and de-boned! You never can go wrong with that in my book. =D
That day I was feeling very daring and adventurous. Even though Ms. Lin was not around to finish the dish off with me, I chose to try S10. Fresh Butterfly Shrimp. This is not for the weak at heart or stomach! It's raw butterflied Shrimp in Spicy Lime Juice served on top of sliced Cabbage. There's no choice in how spicy you would like the sauce because this is a raw dish they make sure the sauce is pretty spicy to minimize risks. This is where the Thai Ice Tea comes in handy to cool off the fire. Don't get me wrong, it's a great spicy but after a few shrimps a rest period might be needed. Raw shrimp is sweeter than cooked shrimp and the texture is completely different. I'll admit that this shrimp tends to be a little more slimy, but the combination of flavors with the sauce and cabbage makes it all worth while. Next time I will need Ms. Lin before I can order this again to help finish the plate!
Hellobear ordered her favorite N11. Crab Pad Thai made with Rice Noodles stir fried in a special sauce with Egg, Green Onion, Bean Sprouts, and Crushed Peanuts. The crab meat was embedded in the egg. They use real crab meat and not imitation. Their pad thai sauce is not as sweet and tangy as other places. It is more on the savory side.
Little did I know that Hellobear wouldn't take a single bite of my dishes. Sorry! I wish I knew and picked dishes we could share and enjoy together. We were missing one dish and apparently they forgot to put the order in. Since she only had the pad thai, she still wanted her S6. Yum Eggplant. It's grilled Eggplant, Shrimp, Hard Boiled Egg, Onion, Dried Shrimp, and Shallots tossed in a Spicy Lime Juice. The eggplant had no skin and was nicely cooked. Each piece was very tender and flavorful.

All in all it was a very enjoyable meal. They offered a vast selection of both traditional dishes and more authentic choices. The prices are very reasonable and the portions were healthy. There's a lot more items on the menu that I would like to come back and try. The best part was seeing Hellobear again! Thanks for coming and thanks for the treat! You are always so sweet!

Red Corner Asia
5267 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 466-6722

Last Saturday, MBA and I went out for lunch and grabbed a movie for home. We were actually searching for Neopet toys and codes. O=9 I am so mad about the Laguna Niguel location. They are so lame, they didn't have the bags and neglected to tell me that the codes are on the bags. I bought a bunch of toys and NO code! OMG! The evilness! We went to the one in Aliso Viejo and they had some lame toy. Why have the ad outside when you haven't even gotten the code! >_<# We ended up going to Thai Bite because we couldn't find the place I wanted to go to. I had read about Thai Bite a while back so I thought why not. As usual, I got a Thai Iced Tea to drink. They gave the daily soup with every lunch. It's your typical tangy Noodle soup. I thought the flavor was fine, nothing extraordinary but definitely not bad. For our lunch items, I debated for a while and I decided to go for the Lemon Chicken. MBA was going to get something completely different and all of a sudden decided to get what I ordered. She didn't want to be envious later or have any regrets so she decided to order the exact same thing as I did. =P Luckily too! It was actually pretty good. They fried the heck out of the chicken. I am glad they used breast meat and they were quite crispy. The sauce was good but became too sweet when you got towards the bottom. Still, it was good and it was all meat so I loved that! ^_^
All in all the food was fine and the prices were reasonable. Is it one of the best places I have had? Definitely not, but it's fine if you want Thai food. I think I still like the Thai food by my house more. We were happy and satiated that's all that matters. Thai Bite

So before Tofu left, we decided to have dinner Sunday night and he suggested Thai food. I was debating on where for the longest time because we can't have him leaving with a horrid taste in his mouth! We were tight on time so I suggested Spice Thai on Muirlands. I have gone to this place since I was in High School and I have always loved their Yellow Curry Chicken. Since I know Tofu loves Yellow Curry Chicken too, I thought this would be a good place. So we went and they weren't open yet, so we went back to Tapioca Express. They open at 5PM for dinner and they have early bird dinner specials.
To start the night off I wanted another cool drink so I ordered the Thai Iced Coffee, which was fine. I love looking at the drinks when you stir for the milk to mix. It's always so pretty. ^_^ They brought us their daily soup, which has not change. It's sweet and tangy with thin noodles, garlic chips, celery, & more. Tofu liked it because it's refreshing. I always liked this soup because it different from what you normally get.
We both decided to get the Early Bird Dinner #2 with Egg Roll and Chicken Curry, Khang Curry Kai. The egg rolls are deep fried stuffed with ground Chicken, Silver Noodles, Corn, diced Onions, and Celery served with Plum Sauce. I thought they were only okay, but I would almost eat anything fried. =P It was a little bland, so you really need the sauce to add flavor. The curry chicken is prepared in a Spicy Stew with Chicken, Potato, and Onions prepared in a Spicy Rich, Curried, & Coconut Milk Sauce. This was just as good as I remembered and Tofu really enjoyed the flavor. I don't know what they do here but they make the best yellow curry sauce that's rich in flavor. They go great with the rice and has the perfect amount of vegetables. One small sliver of Red Bell Pepper and tons of potatoes. Perfect! ^_^
The fried rice looked tempting so we ordered the Pineapple Fried Rice. It's Curried Rice with Chicken, Shrimp, and Pineapple topped with BBQ'd Pork. The rice was extremely flavorful and the presentation was unique. I am not a big fan of eggs and I have never seen the dried shredded pork on Thai fried rice. We were both really full from the curry so we had tons of fried rice left over. I had it the next day and it was still emanating with flavor and I love the small grain rice. It was a great left over meal. I would order this again.
All in all the food was good and I am really glad that Tofu like it. Or he claimed he did... hmm... lol It was a nice bittersweet meal. As you all know he has left, but I did enjoy the food and it has been a while since I have been back. I will have to make some more return trips. Warning though, I do not like that they charge for steamed rice so the early bird meals are more worthwhile. Try to get their early or take it home and make your own rice! ^_^

Spice Thai

A while back Tofu, Tofu's Roomie(need to give her a nickname), and I went out to the movies and grabbed lunch nearby. We were up in Aliso Viejo and debated on where to go. I have been to Urban Thai Bistro a while back so I named it as one of the places to eat here. They decided that they wanted Thai so we came here. I have to get this off my chest. What is up with the name? It's like an oxymoron! The decor is pretty nice and woodsy. It was pretty packed that Friday for lunch.
To start off the meal I ordered Thai Iced Tea and they ordered Thai Iced Coffee. We ordered the lunch specials and they came with soup. It's their daily sou with Rice, Garlic Chips, Shredded Pork, and more. This was surprisingly good. I really liked the flavor and taste. The garlic chips really gave a great crunch to the soup. If I knew I would have rather had a whole meal of the soup versus the main dish.
I ordered the Spicy Fish Fillets. It's fried Fish fillets mixed with a variety of colorful Vegetables in a Sweet & Spicy Sauce. There was barely any fish in the dish. The flavors were not bad but I didn't like how it was just pure vegetables. It was a little too sweet. This really wasn't that memorable. Like I said, I wish they served the soup as my main meal.
Tofu got the Chicken Pad See Ewe. It's Flat Rice Noodles, Asian Broccoli, and Eggs. This was only so-so as well. It lacked flavor and was a little overcooked. The plating was a little lacking as well. It looked like the food was just flopped on and left there.
Tofu's Roomie ordered Yellow Curry Chicken. It's Coconut Milk, Eggplant, Potato, and Basil. The flavor was a little bland yet again. I really liked the dish they presented the food in. Usually when I eat curry I like drenching the rice with sauce.
All in all the food isn't anything memorable. I am not too surprised since I am in Aliso Viejo. At least the prices for lunch are reasonable. It's better to come here for lunch than dinner because it really isn't worth the price. If you are open to other types of food then go elsewhere. I don't think I really would be back to this place unless a friend drags me there.

Urban Thai Bistro

Good thing we arrived early for dinner at Manora's Thai in SF, because it started to get really busy after 7PM. There were rave reviews on the internet for this place so we decided to step out and give this place a try. I believe I have been to this neighborhood on my last trip and tried this really bad restaurant that I still have yet to blog about. From the outside you can't really tell that the interior of this restaurant would be nice. They have this neon sign outside that looked kind of broken down, but once you step inside you would see the nice furnishing. I really liked the wood furnishings and gold finish. The fresh flowers really add a nice exotic touch.
To start off the night we both ordered Thai Iced Tea. I couldn't resist a nice refreshing glass that night. Their drink was good, but nothing special. We had to try the highly recommended appetizer, Pirate Treasure. It's a combination of shrimp, chicken, and bean thread sheet marinated in Thai herbs with a touch of lemon spicy sauce. This was definitely a different item from what I have seen at other Thai restaurants. It was very flavorful, tangy, sweet & sour with a touch of spice. I really liked the bean threads. Ms. Lin loved the sauce and kept it around so that she could mix it with the rest of the dishes. The presentation was on point and the taste was great even with the raw cabbage provided. I think this was the best dish of the night.

All the appetizers looked good and we debated for a long time before deciding on what to order. As a compromise, I got to choose the second appetizer and Ms. Lin will get to order a dish she really liked at her favorite Thai restaurant in Boston. As I have said before, I love anything fried. O=P We got the Katong Ton that was crispy batter cups filled with garlic shrimp, chicken, and vegetable mixed with curry served with chili garlic sauce. The presentation was very nice and cute. As for taste, it was good but nothing special. I think it's more about show than taste, but I did like the batter cups.
The Pad Thai here were suppose to be really good and highly recommended. It's pan-fried rice noodles with shrimp, tofu, egg, and bean sprouts. I thought it was only decent, I have definitely had better. It was a little bland for my taste and I didn't like the squishy texture of the tofu. Most of the Pad Thais I've had in the past were firmer tofu that packed more flavor. I don't think I would get this again or recommend it, try more appetizers instead! ^_-
One of my favorite Thai dishes is the Gang-Gari-Gai, Yellow Curry Chicken. Ms. Lin suggested that we get duck instead of chicken, so we ordered the Gang-Ped-Ped-Yang. It's roast duck cooked in curry with coconut milk & red chili sauce with pineapple and spinach. I thought it was yellow curry because I don't like red curry. The duck was good but I didn't like this dish because the pineapple taste was weird in my opinion. At first I though they were potatoes. Guess I didn't read the description before ordering. Ms. Lin ordered the Hoi-Tod because it's one of her favorite dishes. It's Thai style pan-fried mussels that's fried in crispy batter with spicy Thai herbs mixed with egg and bean sprout served with chili garlic sauce. The areas that were crispy tasted good only with the sauce. Overall it was quite disappointing and it wasn't what Ms. Lin imagined it to be. I definitely wouldn't get this dish again. It reminded me of the Chinese oyster omelette, Owah Jien. Trust me, skip this dish if you ever go there.To end the meal we ordered the dessert of the day, which was Fresh Mango with Sticky Rice. The presentation was nice, but the mango wasn't too ripe. It wasn't what I'd thought it to be, I like it when there's some custard on top of the sticky rice. The sticky rice with coconut milk was good, but nothing different from what you can get at other Thai restaurants. All in all this place was good, better than normal Thai restaurants but nothing spectacular. Overall the service and ambiance was nice. There's a lot of nice choices that differ from what you normally see in other Thai restaurants, but I think what stood out the most was the appetizers. If I lived up in SF, I would come back and try their other dish and appetizers.Manora's Thai
1600 Folsom St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 861-6224

This is a back post. There was a special deal for tickets to Wicked! from January to February so my friends and I all bought tickets to go. Special thanks to a very sweet friend of mine who bought me my ticket for X-mas! Cyber hug! **'cuz I don't hug in real life** We decided to eat close to the Pantages, which would be Thai town.
Oh my goodness, delicious! I really liked Palms Thai. Great recommendation from a pal that went with us. We did everything family style so that we could try a little bit of everything. Unfortunately the traffic was horrendous so we showed up late and one of my friends was almost done with her meal. Yes, I am sorry but we are even now! =P She ordered an awesome Fried Tofu served with ground peanut on sweet & sour sauce. The tofu was crispy and firm. The flavor was only accentuated with the sauce.
We ordered their Coconut Soup with Chicken to share. It was good, but nothing extraordinary. I love using the soup to drizzle on my rice to add flavor to the Chicken Yellow Curry.
My other friend ordered the Thai Sausage as an appetizer. Wonderful! Each bite was bursting with flavor! I really loved this dish and will definitely get this again. The outside was grilled to perfection while maintaining the moisture within. It was still tasty when it was cold.
They have a very interesting wild things menu. I really wanted to try the wild boar because I loved it from La Fondue. Interestingly enough I ordered it and the server immediately said, "Are you sure?" She kept asking if I have ever had wild boar and I said yes. It was quite obvious she was trying to tell me NOT to order that dish. Luckily I listened and ordered the Deep Fried Trout with Mango Sauce. How can I ever say no to mango anything!?! The mango sauce was mixed with sliced chili, cilantro, & cashew nut on the side. The server told us that it was boneless, but there were bones. I was enamored with this dish though! The trout was fried to perfection. All the flavors blended superbly together! I am so tempted to go back all the time, if only I didn't live so far away.

We ordered the Pineapple Fried Rice, Chicken Yellow Curry, and Spicy Beef Salad. They were all good, but nothing as memorable as the sausage and trout. All in all they are pretty consistently good. The service was questionable at time. The servers were nice but this busboy was horridly rude! He told my friend that she was done with her meal and basically took her plate away! We all were in awe and thought that was so rude. They were also super strict about not letting her get a table while waiting for us to arrive. Overall the food was great. Can't wait to go back!

Palms Thai