So happy to be the first to review this wonderful new Thai spot!
As I am the first I'm going to be a bit... verbose. That is my nature by default and here I feel it is somewhat justified, so pardon the upcoming lack of concision.
I'm one of those who rates Thai food right after sushi as far as favorite cuisines go. As such, I have tried just about every Thai restaurant in the valley [and have many favorite dishes at varying places]. Thai Paradise is newcomer but it does a stellar job of living up to its name.
The decor is pleasant, bright and vibrant. The chairs are the weakest link comfort-wise, but they're not major enough of a hindrance to prevent enjoying the food. It's pretty small and as such there aren't very many tables [I didn't count but I'd guess it wouldn't seat more than 20 at a time].
Went there to eat dinner with six other hungry [or, four hungry, two starving] yogis after a heated yoga class at the always excellent Inner Vision Yoga [just one mile west of this restaurant]. Upon arrival we ordered drinks and apps [Thai Iced Tea, Iced Coffee, "Thai Lemonade," crab puffs and egg rolls]. Drinks came out immediately, and were all delicious. I am not much of a coffee drinker but I would down one of those Thai Coffees any day of the week. VERY tasty [same for the Iced Tea]. The lemonade is homemade and tasted like it had lime and also some salt in it. I wasn't really crazy about the salt to be honest, as I LIKE the puckery sourness of lemonade. One diner said it tasted like a virgin margarita, and that's pretty right on.
The apps arrived and this was our first indication that we were in for really excellent service. The orders come with six to an order, which we knew would leave one person wanting in our party of seven... Not so! As the owner added an extra of each with no charge so we could all enjoy. The crab puffs and egg rolls were fantastic, but the real star of the appetizer course was the dipping sauce. Unexpectedly subtle and complex in flavor, clearly not a throwaway. Not that plasticy sweet n sour garbage you get at a lot of places, this was delicate but flavorful and perfect for balancing the richness of the fried food.
The entrées arrived very promptly and all were delicious. I am a fan of a lot of heat in my Thai food, but we were doing it family style so I couldn't order anything 'thai hot.' I'll be back very soon to try that level of spice so I can comment on it. As they were, everything was very tasty. We tried several old standbys: Pad Thai, [Tofu] Red Curry and Pad see ew. All were fabulous [though I wish we could've ordered them hotter]. We also ordered some of the place's special dishes that are definitely not Thai standards.
"Rama shrimp" is fried shrimp in a panang-ish curry on top of fresh spinach and served with crispy noodles. Pretty great, unlike anything I've had before.
My favorite though was the "Seafood Spaghetti" Ridiculous amount of flavor in this dish. Scallops, mussels, shrimp and actual spaghetti with some kind of INSANE sauce.
Didn't get a chance to try their mango sticky rice dessert, which is my favorite dessert in all of dessert-dom, but will definitely do so next time.
The value of this place is phenomenal, great portion sizes for very reasonable prices. Clearly the owners recognize that serving amazing food at a great price is a recipe for success.
All in all I can't wait to eat here again and try more of the menu. Like, all of it.
edit: I just wanted to elaborate, as I've had some messages inquiring about the value... When I say value, I mean it! Seven of us ate for $67 dollars. That's including drinks and appetizers. Ridiculous, given the tastiness of it all. read more