I have wanted to visit this place for the longest time but never quite got around to doing so, probably because of the distance I must travel to visit it. But being a true foodie like we all are, the distance can only be an impediment for so long, and one day, though it was an impromptu plan, I was finally there!
It's not a very large place, so much so that you might almost miss it, if you don't check your Google Maps or are not well aware of where it's precisely located. But once you do find it, it's a place you'd want to keep coming back to. Like the aphorism goes, never judge a book by its cover. This hold especially true for Thai House.
We went for lunch on a weekday, the two of us, so it wasn't all that full, only two other tables other than ours were occupied. It's a cute little place with orange interiors and a few wall hangings here and there, with one corner solely dedicated to the various paper cutouts that have Thai House featured on them. It has about seven or eight tables in total, but thankfully, they're large so your dishes can comfortably be placed on the table. It isn't much to brag about, yes, but so many restaurants fill up their places with such tiny table that you can't even place two dishes on them after your table has been set; I cannot emphasise enough on how annoying it gets!
We started our meal with a drink each, a Thai iced tea and a Nam Lam-Yai. The latter is made from longan, a seasonal fruit. There are four seasonal drinks to choose from, but you'll just have to wait around and see which drink is available at what time of the year. All look quite promising though. The longan fruit drink has a sort of a bitter sweet taste - not exactly bitter but not sweet either; it was more like a dry sort of sweetness. I personally liked it a lot, but at the same time I don't think it's something I'd recommend; the taste takes a little getting used to, and not everyone will like it. If you're the person who likes to embark on new gastronomical adventures, go for it. If not, the tried and tested aerated drinks might be a better option, or even the iced tea, of which I had only a sip or two of the iced tea but I quite liked it. It was refreshing and a lovely change from the typical lemon and peach ones you get elsewhere.
In the main course, we tried the Chicken Sesami and Chicken Pad Thai noodles. I was a bit unsure whether it'll be enough for us because the portions seemed a bit small. But trust me, they were more than enough. The Chicken Sesami was a delight to have! I swear I wanted to part with my etiquette and have the whole thing myself. Ir was not all that spicy and just slightly sweet, and the chicken crunchy and soft, all at the same time! The flavours blended together perfectly, not to forget that it looked pretty fabulous itself! The Pad Thai noodles were equally delicious - firm, fresh with loads of chicken! Sure, the sprouts were a little too much for my liking, but then again, you can easily push a few to the side of your plate (Oh, the plates are so pretty!). We finished off our meal with fried ice cream, the taste of which, if you've not had it before, is something your mind and palette cannot seem to comprehend! They give you a scoop of vanilla and strawberry each, deep fried, finished off with powdered sugar. It's an individual choice, but I felt the vanilla tasted better enclosed the way it is.
If the food at Thai House is fabulous, the service is too, if not more. The owners are lovely, hospitable people with an adorable daughter! They came to India as students and have been here ever since. They are in the restaurant the whole time which make the dining experience a little more personal. Their daughter, who is two years and eight months old, interacted with us during the time we were there, which almost made it feel like we were guests at their place instead of patrons! It may not be your thing, but for us, it was rather warm.
If we're talking about prices, I didn't find the place all that expensive. We paid less than 1100 for our meal, and I was stuffed to the core by the end of it. I couldn't have had a morsel more. I chatted with the owners a little bit after our meal and asked where they get some of their ingredients from (I was curious to know where they sourced the longan for my longan drink from). I was told that some of them are brought directly from Thailand since they are unavailable in India. Apparently, there are been huge improvements because they'd have to source most of their ingredients - almost 70-80% - from Thailand when they had just started out. But leaving that aside and keeping the fact that they still have to bring in stuff from their native country in mind, the prices seem pretty justified. Also, most places are priced in this range; Thai House is not exceptional. They aren't calling themselves a fast food joint or anything in the first place, so it can't be compared to prices of those.
This isn't one of those ultra exquisite places with expensive interiors and showy behaviour. Thai House is not in any way over the top, it's cute and homely, it's simplicity and warmth is what makes you want to come back to it. And ultimately, that's what really matters.
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