Tasty Thai Food

Recently, I've been crazy about Thai food and have been trying out several different restaurants around the city of Richmond.

I began exploring the restaurants near VCU.

Elephant Thai:
This was the first restaurant that I ever tried in rVA. The first time I went, I thought it was pretty good. However, after comparing with other restaurants, I wasn't satisfied with Elephant Thai anymore.
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1. The Thai Iced Tea $1.95. Delicious, but I think they all taste about the same at each restaurant. If you haven't tried Thai Iced Tea at any restaurant, I recommend trying it.
2. Fried Calamari appetizer $5.95. This appetizer is served with some shredded carrots, lettuce leaves, and some sort of sweet chili sauce to add more flavor to the calamari. Not bad!
3. Basil Beef $7.95. I wasn't too pleased with this dish. I would have liked it more if it the hotter. The dish seemed to be warm, not so fresh. Also, the beef was tough, not tender.

Thai Diner Too:
This restaurant is located in Carytown, which is about a 20-30 minute walk from the VCU campus. Also, this place is pricier than Elephant Thai, but it is also better!

1. Basil Pork this time. I don't remember how much it cost, but it was really good! Also, you can ask for the level of spiciness you want your dish to be. Mine was deliciously spicy!
2. My friend got the Mussamun Curry. Compared to the other restaurants, this is the best Mussamun Curry she's had!
















Ginger Thai Taste:
This restaurant is also located in Carytown. I think the dishes here are slightly more pricey than those at Thai Diner Too, or about the same. Nice thing about this restaurant is that you can dine indoors or outdoors. The first time I went, my friend and I chose to dine outside since the weather was so nice!

1. Basil Pork...again! It's one of my favorite dishes, as you can see... I thought the Basil Pork at this restaurant was even better! The pork very tender, good portion size. This restaurant also allows you to choose your spiciness. They have American hot, Hot, Thai hot, and Make me cry. I chose the Make me cry... It was SOO HOT, but SOO GOOD.






2. This is the Pad Phrik King, which is sauteed green beans and chili paste. Also delicious, but I regretted ordering the Make me cry level of spiciness. It was so hot that I got full from drinking water. Also, I was only able to finish 1/3 of the dish. When I brought my leftovers home, my mom tried remaking the dish. However, it turned into a hotpot, and it was still spicy!




Ginger Thai is really good, but pricey. I recommend coming at lunch time, since the lunch prices is cheaper than dinner prices. Lastly, I felt that they are inconsistent with their levels of spiciness, since the first time, the Make me cry was perfect. So I recommend sticking to Hot or Thai hot.

While you are in Carytown...I definitely recommend stopping Galaxy Diner for some desserts!

Galaxy Diner:
I recommend getting Fried Oreos, especially if you haven't had them before. When I first heard of them, I thought Fried Oreos sounded disgusting. I decided to order it anyway, and now it's one of my favorite desserts.
They give you 4 fried oreos with a scoop of ice-cream in the middle topped with whip cream, chocolate syrup, and a cherry on top!










Lastly, the most recent Thai Restaurant I've discovered is located in Mechanicsville.

Pad Thai Restaurant:
The appearance and the location of the restaurant may be deceptive, but the food is absolutely wonderful. I haven't had the chance to take pictures yet. But I will definitely be going back to this restaurant in the future!
The first time I went was with my family around 7pm, and the restaurant was packed! People had to wait outside for seats. It was definitely worth the wait though. Also, I think the price is reasonable and not as pricey as Thai Diner Too and Ginger Thai. The price range is similar to that of Elephant Thai, but the food at Pad Thai Restaurant is definitely much more delicious!
Here is a link to their menu.

Hopefully, I will be able to learn to make a few Thai cuisine in the near future!
If you are ever happen to be in Richmond and craving for Thai food, I hope my recommendations help you decide which restaurant to eat at. If you have any other recommendations or suggestions, feel free to share!