Quick Bite: Pad Thai at Thara Thai
This is the shrimp version, as you can see. Skinny rice sticks, eggs, bean sprouts, scallions, carrots, and peanuts are stir-fried with the special sauce and the shrimp to create this mouth-watering noodle extravaganza. Regarding the spiciness factor, you can choose "no spice," mild, medium, or hot. I go for mild, and that suits me just fine; it's a little spicy but not much, at least for my taste. If you find that you'd like more heat, you can always apply some of the fiery-hot Sriracha sauce you'll find on your table. I always ask for extra limes to squeeze over.
Other favorites at Thara include the pad see ew (wide rice noodles stir-fried with your choice of meats or tofu, broccoli, and a sweet soy sauce) and tom kha gai (chicken soup with coconut milk, veggies, and plenty of red pepper).
Thara Thai Pan-Asian Restaurant
912 West Bloomington Road
Champaign, IL
217-378-1986
Open Monday through Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday noon to 9:00 p.m.
(Debit and credit cards accepted)
Labels: quick bites, restaurants
posted by Lisa at 6:58 AM
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16 Comments:
We ate this very dish last night. Love Thara Thai!
Full agreement on both the pad thai and pad see ew! We just discovered this place after living here for 4 years, and it's fantastic. Such a great hole in the wall. To be honest the mild alone is really pretty darn spicy to someone with an average palate. It's perfect for me, and I love spice. My husband is crazy and gets the medium - I can barely eat it! The cold spring rolls are really good too, very fresh and light tasting with a great little sauce. Worth a try!
I totally miss Thara Thai. :\
We love Thara Thai! Especially the Tom Kha (that would be a delicious recipe to get ahold of!). Don't forget the extra special "Thai Hot". ;)
Hi Seth, what a delicious coincidence!
Anna: Glad you finally found the place. I agree about their spring rolls; love 'em. You might also want to try the shumai appetizer; those dumplings are so good.
Kfan: I can imagine. Sorry about that.
Elizabeth: I agree that the tom kha recipe would be great to have, but knowing how (understandably) reluctant the owners are to give out that kind of info, don't expect to see a How Do You Make That? about the soup any time soon!
And right: The blow-head-off "Thai hot." When I overhear someone order that spice level (usually after warning/discouragement from the server), I'm always listening, after the food gets there, for distress sounds from his/her table. ;)
Best wishes to you and your kitty cat- hope you both feel better soon!
Pad Thai looks good.
I love the food at Thara Thai and will have to try this dish. But I might quibble over the title of 'quick bite.' In my experience, Thara is not quick, but usually quite slow. In fact I'd go there a lot more if it wasn't so slow, but instead I have to balance time vs. their food.
I usually have to wait at least 10 minutes to get a menu, another 10 for someone to take my order. And after that it can be a 30-40 minute wait for the food. So, in other words, it can be an hour before I'm eating anything. I don't often want to wait that long.
But I still go there occasionally anyway because the food is good.
The picture was great, pad thai sounds SO GOOD!!
My bf worked his way through the different spice levels (he can tolerate some impressive heat) and he finally met his match at Thai Hot! He prefers Med-Hot now.
I really like the family that runs this place. :)
(and yes, tasty spring rolls! need to find a cheaper recipe for this one too!)
Oh, my! Here's another one for my list, Lisa.
Best place for a sinus-clearing quick bite in town! I go there when I'm feeling under the weather, order everything hot, and leave cauterized and happy. Papaya salad is great, too.
Anonymous: The name "Quick Bite" is meant to indicate a short review, usually highlighting just one dish, not that the food at the establishment being featured is quickly prepared. I can see how that's confusing. I've had quite a wait at Thara just once; the other times I've been the service has been very good. I must say, though, that I rarely go at dinner time.
Thanks, Carmel!
Grumblebear: I'm pleased to add it. :)
Anonymous: Yes! My fave for when I'm feeling puny is the tom kha or tom yum.
My favorite pad thai in town, hands down. I love, love, love Thara Thai.
After reading your blog, we went this past weekend. Loved it! I took your recommendation and tried the pad se ew (medium spice)...might even go hotter next time. I thought the soups were a little pricey, but might try one later, especially if I have a cold I want to clear up!
Laura: Agreed.
Kim: Glad it worked out so well for you! I do also love Thara's pad see ew. And while the tom kha gai is a bit pricey, it's absolutely worth it IMO. Note that it does come with a bowl of rice (in contrast to Nitaya, where you have to pay $1.50 over and above the price of the soup in order to get a side of rice).
I have been a fan of Thara Thai since it first opened. The food is always delicious--everything is clearly made fresh--and the owners are wonderful. The place has a homey atmosphere that cannot be beat. It may not be the fanciest place in town, but it is hands-down one of the very, very best.
Highly, highly recommended.
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