My Thailand vacation a few years ago was a foodie dream come true. Devouring ripe dragon fruit, mangosteen, lychee and jack fruit. Sampling hot-salty-sweet-sour unidentifiable, yet delicious dishes. Exploring the sweaty-intoxicating streets and their food carts. The list goes on.
A trip like that set the bar high when experiencing Thai food here on the Main Line, and we’ve had great American Thai experiences along the way.
Recently, I found myself humbled in front of my favorite Thai ‘find’ restaurant. “No baby chair, no baby here,” the owner of Mayuree Café told my husband and me, promptly closing the door in our face. We had arrived for an early dinner reservation, dressed nicely with our content one-year-old baby in tow. The gruff owners of this mom-and-pop restaurant, which we had always found endearing, made it clear this wasn’t a restaurant for families.
We still had dreams of drunken noodles that night and wandered into another nearby gem, Thai Orchid in Berwyn. One bottle of wine and several dishes later, we rolled out of this quaint restaurant, smitten and with our night turned around.
Thai Orchid, as it turns out, has a strong local following for its small, 36-seat dining room; the owner hails from the Chiang Mai region. And like most international places, you can sweet-talk the waitress into creating your dish with more authentic spice levels and flavors.
Favorite dishes of the evening included tulip dumplings –ground shrimp and crabmeat prettily formed into a tulip shape, steamed and served with a soy vinaigrette, a grilled fresh calamari salad, tossed with onion, celery, red peppers, ground peanuts and a spicy lime sauce. Stir-fried drunken noodles were perfection with mussels, calamari and shrimp, combined with onions, tomatoes, basil and spicy traditional seasoning. Check out the entire menu here.
Do you have a favorite Thai spot on the Main Line? Please do share. Till then I’ve found my local haven for family Thai.
Check out Thai Orchid at 556 Lancaster Avenue or by visiting thaiorchidberwyn.com.
