SAN FRANCISCO — In a city peppered with Thai restaurants, picking one for dinner can be as daunting as making your own pad Thai blindfolded. But fear not: Just make a beeline to King of Thai Noodle House on Clement Street’s eatery row. It’s fast, casual dining, reflecting chef/ owner Anthony Chaichana’s desire to serve affordable Thai cuisine.
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As a new immigrant to the United States, Chaichana started his first location in 1994 with loans from friends and by maxing out his credit cards. Despite the long hours, he was dedicated to bringing wok-style street food to San Franciscans. His early customers included foreign Thai students and the Thai community, but the business began to thrive via word of mouth. Fourteen years and six locations later, he has continued to serve flavorful dishes while keeping the core culinary skills he learned from his mother.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the extensive menu and hard-to-pronounce dish names; focus on choosing key ingredients and the method of cooking from boiling to stir fry. For starters, the fresh duck salad special ($6.75) features savory duck meat and fat from the skin, complimented by sprinkles of chopped mint. Raw cabbage and red and green onions provide crunch, while the chili-lime dressing adds a tangy flavor. In gang graree ($6.75), sweet onions and soft buttery potatoes are bathed in a milky yellow curry.
The restaurant is famous for its noodles. Beef lovers should try the beef stew noodle ($5.75). Acting as the core of the dish, the sweet soup is extracted from hours of brewing beef and bones — but it has distinct hallmarks of the overuse of rock sugar. It may look like a collection of beef offerings, but the thin slices of beef were flavorful, although the beef balls lack flavor and only provide a chewy texture. The beef stew pieces feature a coat of gelatinous tendon with a brisket under layer. The noodles, which soften by the minute, were nothing spectacular. Bean sprouts provide crunch, and wilted spinach adds an earthy taste to an otherwise heavy noodle soup. Skip the flavorless pork noodle soup ($5.75), which is soup simmered with ground and sliced pork along with fish cake and fish balls.
The favorite dish was the kao pad gai tod ($7.25), which is all about crunch: Battered and fried boneless chicken breast is served over fried rice. I also recommend the pad Thai ($6.75). Cooked al dente, the noodles are chewy and well-coated with sauce. The papaya salad flavored with dry shrimp and peanuts is a great choice for a cooling appetizer ($6.45). The sticky rice and mango dessert, with a taffy-like texture, ends a good meal.
Visit Campusfork.com for more food reviews.
KING OF THAI
NOODLE HOUSE
346 Clement Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 831-9953
………. Hours ……….
Daily: 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
………. Prices ……….
$7 – 12 per dish