Based on Early Pandemic 2022 visits
Having perused the Yelp reviews for Thaination ahead of time, I was aware that they had a few parking spots. They sure weren't out front as it seems to be a permit only neighborhood, and I wasn't a local resident. I chanced it and dove into the alley beside the restaurant and after looking about confusedly, asked a passersby if they knew where Thaination's spots were. Turns out I just needed to drive a bit further in and they were the marked spots beside the next building to my right.
It was a bit cramped with a trash bin set on the left, across from spot #12, so I ran in to claim my order, and exited lickety-split.
Highlights of lunch at Thaination were the $3.50 Thai Iced Tea, Honey Glazed Spareribs appetizer $9.50 and Mango with Sweet Sticky Rice $8.50. The meat was tender, tasty, and came off the bones very easily. The mango was sweet and tender yet not overly ripe, and the accompanying sticky rice rich and tasty.
Everything else sufficed.
Yummy Lettuce appetizer $8.94 was wisely packed to go decomposed, keeping the fried rice vermicelli strands crispy. It came with 5 half leaves and plenty of the minced chicken and mini shrimp and veggie filling to go around.
The Create Your Own Vegetable Saute Entree $9.50 with assorted vegetables and garlic and oyster sauce was tasty and a nice mix of firm veggies. The duck ($1 surcharge) was a sufficient 5 tender slices of the dark meat fowl, and it also came with white rice (other carb options were available for a fee of 50 cents). Their Pad See-Ew $9.50 was easily upgraded to fried chicken for a reasonable $2 charge, and was tasty and not overly sweet. Their fried chicken (also available separately as an add on for $6) was dark meat tender, but had lost its crisp on the commute, despite their thoughtful hole punch in the cover. Their Vegetable Pad Thai lunch $9.50 came with both tofu (2 triangles) and assorted crisp vegetables, which I appreciated. Alternatively, Pad Thai came with fried chicken for $11.50. The Thai Fried Rice lunch $9.50 was tasty, and the pair of shrimp it came with were fine, but the slices of white meat chicken were a bit dry. The portion for the Roast Duck over Rice $10.50 was enough for me, though a heavier eater might be wanting for a bit more meat and veggie, as the 7 slices of meaty duck looked smaller than the portion of fried chicken that accompanies other lunch entrees.
The Seafood Dynasty $12 came with 1 mussel, 1 scallop, 2 shrimp, and 3 chewy squid. It wasn't marked to be spicy on the menu, but it came with a kick. While the Honey Pork $10.50 came with dry pork, firm veggies and a tasty sauce. Their Pad See-Ew could be improved upon, as it was overcooked with soft noodles and vegetables, though the tofu protein option came with a satisfactory 5 deep-fried triangles.
The dryness of the chicken from the basic Pad Thai was helped by a dunk in the peanut sauce $1, but that sauce was actually my least favorite part of our meal as it tasted off. My guess was that it tasted old, while my DC couldn't quite put a finger on it.
I'd recommend upgrading from the default shrimp and chicken to the fried chicken when that's an option. The duck is also a good alternative, though the portion was a bit more generous with the fried chicken as a swap at lunchtime.
Their Limeade $4 was good, though personally, I preferred the Thai iced tea.
Thaination is wheelchair accessible, but both their doors put up a fight when I attempted to open them. Not sure if they were just heavy, or if the joints could do with some greasing.
3.5 stars. read more