Baan Thai Sabaidee -- West Chester

[CindyJ]

I just discovered this place just a few days ago and last evening I returned with a friend for my second visit.  For an appetizer we shared the Ebishumai which is described as "steamed shrimp dumpling topped with fried onion served with soy and ginger sauce."  It was quite good.  For our entrees, I had the Thai Basil with Chicken and my friend had Pad Thai Shrimp.  Both were nicely prepared and delicious.

 

It's easy to miss this place if you're driving by.  It's in a partially vacant strip mall on Nields St., off Rt. 52, right in back of Laguna Miramare on the outskirts of West Chester.  There were very few tables occupied during my first visit, although they seemed to be doing a brisk take-out business.  Last night there were a good number of people dining there.

 

I ought to mention that I had a wonderful bowl of rice noodle soup on my first visit that was so big I couldn't finish it all.  The restaurant is BYO, tables are set with Asian motif tablecloths and prices are quite reasonable.

[huiray]

Sounds delicious! 

 

I did a search on Google and found what I assume is the place (plus Yelp reviews etc). I must say that Teriyaki chicken and Pho (2 of the 4 items featured on the landing page of the webpage of the restaurant) aren't exactly...Thai.  Yelpers seeking Pho (a Vietnamese dish) extol Baan Thai, a "Thai" restaurant. Heh.

 

But unless one is keen on a "pure Thai" or "authentic Thai" place (both very slippery terms, yes) if it is tasty that's what is important, right? :-) 

Edited October 14, 2015 by huiray (log)

[CindyJ]

You're right -- it's not exclusively Thai.  In fact, it was my desire for a bowl of Vietnamese-style noodle soup that brought me there in the first place, and I wasn't disappointed!  I ordered the roasted pork and wonton noodle bowl, which was huge, and although it wasn't supposed to be served with the platter of accompaniments normally served with pho (bean sprouts, thai basil, sliced jalapenos, lime wedges) the server brought me the accompaniments when I asked for them (no extra charge).

 

I'm not a fan of Yelp, but if it serves to get the word out, that's great.

[gfweb]

I 've glanced at this place when going to LM. I'll have to try it

[huiray]

You're right -- it's not exclusively Thai.  In fact, it was my desire for a bowl of Vietnamese-style noodle soup that brought me there in the first place, and I wasn't disappointed!  I ordered the roasted pork and wonton noodle bowl, which was huge, and although it wasn't supposed to be served with the platter of accompaniments normally served with pho (bean sprouts, thai basil, sliced jalapenos, lime wedges) the server brought me the accompaniments when I asked for them (no extra charge).

 

I'm not a fan of Yelp, but if it serves to get the word out, that's great.

 

I would think of "roasted pork & wonton noodle bowl" as Chinese-origin rather than Vietnamese --- although that is nevertheless OK as the Southern Chinese presence in Vietnam** is very large and many dishes "found there" could be thought of as Cantonese/Teochew dishes inflected with or adapted to local (i.e. Vietnamese) ingredients and flavors – and having that bowl of noodles with the pho accompaniments certainly adds a Vietnamese/semi-Thai dimension to it! It also makes it more of a Southern Vietnamese style,^¶§ rather than a Northern Vietnamese one.

 

FWIW several Yelpers thought the pho there was odd or disappointing?  There is only an "order online menu" accessible from their webpage but on that one the only pho option is with thin-sliced round-eye steak. No tendon, or tripe, or meatballs, or brisket, or flank, or curdled blood, etc toppings offered? Also didn't see anything specific about whether the broth tasted "right". If you have the pho there it would be interesting to read about your thoughts.

 

** in Thailand the Chinese there are predominantly of Teochew derivation.

^¶ Which is also appropriate, as much of the Vietnamese diaspora from Vietnam over to the USA at the end of the Vietnam war tended to be Southern Vietnamese (after the fall of Saigon)

^§ In Cholon, the "Chinatown" section of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), my understanding is that you won't need Vietnamese to make your way around expertly - if you speak Teochew you will be just fine!

Edited October 15, 2015 by huiray (log)

[CindyJ]

I'm not a big fan of pho because (by definition?) it's a beef-based broth and I've sometimes found beef broths a little "off" in taste.  I guess you can say that the noodle soup I ordered at Baan Thai was a hybridized version of something Thai and Chinese.  As you noted, the wontons (which were thin and quite tasty) and roasted pork do seem more Cantonese, but the rice noodles and add-ins gave it a Thai essence.  But that hardly mattered to me because I thought it was quite good, whatever the ethnicity.  I can't speak to the Yelpers' opinions.  One of the reasons I'm not a fan of Yelp -- at least, not here in the Philadelphia area -- is that I often disagree with the reviews and opinions there.  I've found other online sources to be much more in line with my own tastes, so those are the sources I generally rely on for restaurant recommendations.

 

As for Baan Thai's website, I agree with you -- it leaves a LOT to be desired.