Djan's Thai @ Wallingford

A cute little restaurant in an adorable little house serving big portions of delectable Thai food, kind of sums it up. The chic interiors with paper place mats, beautiful flatware and fancy cloth napkins gives it a stylish bistro-ish feel. While the soft lighting and the candle lit tables scream "date nights", it is a great place for group dining too. It is supposed to be a kid friendly place except for the fact that they have only two high chairs and a few booster chairs (sans the belt) that reminded me of potty seats. What they lack in high chairs they make up in the food. Spicy food.

We were in a big group, so obviously the service was a little sluggish. But the waiter was very prompt with other requests. Like that one time when A asked for hot sauce on top of the five star burn-my-ass spicy food. When the food arrived, it was totally gobblesome.

 For starters A and I got the Veggie Curry Puff  - Thin crepes filled with onions and potatoes.  Served with cucumber sweet & sour chili sauce. The description says crepe but it was more like a fried dumpling. I would easily relate it to the Indian Samosa. It was excellent and not a wee bit spicy. My little one loved snacking on the potatoes.

Veggie curry puffs

For the main course we got the Djan's Fusion Noodles - A blend of Pad Thai and Pad Khee Mao in a spicy stir-fried version. Thin rice noodles with egg, bean sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, jalapeno and fresh basil leaves. We asked for tofu, of course. For a change, five star spice level IS that spicy!!

Djan's Fusion Noodles

The blend of my two favorite Thai dishes has to be delicious, what? Spicy and flavorful I couldn't stop eating.

The Sauteed Eggplant said "Eat me!" so I had to order it. Deep fried eggplant stir fried with tofu, bell peppers, carrots, soy bean sauce, white pepper and basil leaves.

Saute Eggplant @ Djan's

 The Eggplant was so tender, juicy and succulent. The basil leaves are what made the dish extra special. The portions were big and we boxed half the food back home and it made a great lunch the next day. 

They have a private room upstairs for parties that one can rent.They have parking too. With great food, service and ambiance, Djan's is a sure winner. 

Araya's Vegetarian Place @ Seattle

The first vegetarian / vegan Thai restaurant that I was introduced to, five years ago, was Araya's. It is still one of my favorites. Fairly large dining space, huge buffet spread, Asian decor, attentive service, fantastic vegetarian food and what have you. One bite of the fresh, crunchy all-you-can-eat spring rolls and I was head over heels in love with it.  Since then, I have been here quite a few times and can't believe I haven't reviewed it yet. We had  lunch at Araya's today and here's a visual treat for all you Thai food lovers.

Located in U-District, it hasn't failed to lure a diverse bunch of people who love vegetarian food. It has its own parking lot. The interior has an ethnic Thai decor. Lots of tables. There has never been a time when we had to wait to be seated (we always go for the lunch buffet). Service is very satisfactory. Plates are cleared promptly and waters refilled when needed.

The best part is the food. First, the Salads. Four different kinds, each one unique and delicious.

And here's my plate :)

Spring rolls. Yummmmm....hot, crunchy and uber delicious. I have at least six of them :) Next to the spring rolls was a rice noodle dish.

I can never have enough of these!

There was a soup and a sticky sweetish fried noodle dish. The soup was made of coconut milk, tofu and mushrooms. It had a fantastic lemon grass flavor and was slightly spicy.

There was a stir-fry of veggies in soy sauce and a fried rice. Sometimes they have pineapple fried rice. The food is very sublime and appealing to the senses.

Phad thai and green curry with fresh veggies and tofu. Sometimes they have the red curry or yellow curry.

Here's my plate again :) They also have a healthy brown rice to eat with the curries.

And then there was a special tossed salad with fried noodles, fried tofu, onions, tomato, cilantro and lemon juice.

The dessert was sticky rice pudding with coconut milk. It was not sweet at all and I don't like the chewy texture. So I usually don't care for the dessert. And, it's always the same. Never changes. *wonders why*

We ordered a not too sweet bubble tea with cream instead of coconut milk. A tall glass and quite tasty.

I managed to get a picture of an old man who's job was to just keep making spring rolls! It was amazing how  he could effortlessly fill, roll and wrap each one of them.

Here's a picture of their dining area.

Can you believe if I told you that all this delicious food costs $8.95? I was stumped. I have been going here for the last five years and the quality of food hasn't changed a bit. It is as good as ever. You could go for the buffet or pick what you like from their extensive menu. I would recommend the buffet. They are doing a great job and I will keep going. Especially for the spring rolls. Ummm!

In the Bowl Bistro @ Seattle

Finally, I get to review my one of my favorite Thai restaurants in Seattle. In the Bowl has the widest variety of Thai food at prices not really reasonable, but proportionate to the portions. How often do you bump into a Thai restaurant that is all vegetarian? I feel relieved because I can order anything without asking the hundred usual questions like "Does that have fish sauce? Oyster sauce? It is all veg, right? I mean there is no sea food or no meat of any kind in it? How about shrimp paste?" Phew!!

This is a tiny hole in the wall, with the tables on one side,

and the kitchen on the other.

 Some things to expect when you go there:

1. There is just one cook (and a helper) and one waitress who run the show.  It  takes atleast 20 mins for the food to reach your table. When the restaurant is packed, it can take longer.
2. There are only 7-8 tables, but we usually go for lunch at noon and are seated right away.
3. The open kitchen is right next to where you sit, so it can get really hot in there. They do have a couple of fans, but it hardly serves the purpose.
4. You get to pick the type of noodle (Udon, mung bean, rice etc) and the type of rice (brown, white or wild rice medley). You also get to pick faux chicken, beef etc or tofu.
5. When you order an entree, for $3 more, you can get 3 or 4 pieces of any of their appetizers. Although, when we ordered the entree and an appetizer, the appetizer never came and we finally just cancelled the appetizer.
6. When you order fried rice or the stir-fry entrees, you get a complimentary dessert. But keep in mind that the dessert can be anything. We got a couple of pieces of Orange!!
7. Service can be a little lousy at times, but you hardly notice it once you start digging into the food.
8. The family believes in Hindu Gods and you will get to listen to a lot of Hindu religious music being played in the restaurant. It's kind of a different environment. Very peaceful and soothing.
9. The food is great and the variety is awesome! Definitely worth trying out their specials!

Here are few pictures of what we ate: Yellow Fried Rice -Stir fried rice with yellow curry paste, carrot, onion, snow pea, broccoli, pineapple then top with coconut milk. We asked for soy chicken and white rice. It was excellent!

and Garlic Mania Noodle - Stir fried homemade garlic and herbs sauce topped over steamed noodle with sesame oil, sesame seed and served with steamed mixed veggies. We asked for mung bean noodle. Absolutely delicious!

If you haven't been to this restaurant, I highly recommend checking it out. You will be stunned by the variety!