![\"sm-20150107_123922\"](\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/sm-20150107_123922.jpg\")
<\/p>\nI haven\u2019t always been a Thai food aficionado; I have a place or two that I\u2019d consider good restaurants but beyond that, I haven\u2019t spent much time seeking out the perfectly spiced flat noodle dish. However, after discovering great Thai food in San Francisco, I now feel like my bar is pretty damn high.<\/p>\n
Before coming here, I was told that Los Angeles had a fantastic Thai food scene… consistently by strangers and people I know. This is because LA has one of the largest Thai populations outside of Thailand. However, in the LA that I know, I haven\u2019t discovered “fantastic” anything and the expectation of “good” has since morphed into a search for palatable Thai food. Even Yelp has consistently failed me in my search.<\/p>\n
Below are a small but evolving sampling of the results. <\/p>\n
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When I ask co-workers to think of a word that describes the Pink Pepper, the word that consistently comes up is meh<\/em>. The only seasoning they seem to add to dishes is salt and for those who like salty, bland, rubbery food, this is your place.<\/p>\n But Thai food is supposed to be spicy… it can be one of the spiciest foods in the world! This is what is mystifying me: where are the spices?<\/p>\n I personally would rate the Pink Pepper as less than a meh<\/em>. The last time I ate here I ordered a Pad-see-ew (flat noodle dish) that reminded me of leftover lasagna in consistency and taste (without the cheese). Seriously… the noodles must have been reheated in a microwave oven and it was like they added tomato sauce to the meal.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve tried this place a few times and at first glance, it seemed to be ok… and then I wasn\u2019t sure. I guess: hit and miss<\/em> is a good way to describe the restaurant… the best time to go is in the evenings. I started with comfort food: shrimp fried rice (I know… how is this Thai?) complete with lots of salt. The portion was about three meals (for me) and made the homeless person I gave it to very happy.<\/p>\n Next, I tried the Pad-see-ew. It was less salty that Pink Pepper noodles but incredibly sweet. I tasted like I was eating a cookie… a flat noodle cookie. How can noodles, egg, and shrimp be super sweet like a cookie? Then there were the Drunken Noodles, which they seem to do a good job with when you order them spicy. They do understand the concept of spices in this restaurant.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, this little ditty is off the beaten path… but in the middle of the well stomped on\/jumped on a 3-mile radius that I like to call Airport-landia. And, this is the ONLY non-fast food restaurant amidst all the chain hotels around LAX. This means it is SUPER busy all the time: for both take-out and sit in.<\/p>\n However, this also happens to be the best Thai food that I\u2019ve eaten in Los Angeles. The portions are manageable, all the food is made in-house from scratch, it\u2019s spiced appropriately with matching Thai sauces. Their shrimp salad rolls are the best I\u2019ve EVER had and are served warm.<\/p>\n When I arrived at my airport hotel one evening, I asked the staff what they thought of the restaurant. The concierge promptly pulled out a stack of about 200 sheets of paper on which they\u2019d printed the restaurant menu… for that day! Apparently, it is very well known amongst hotel\/airport staff, pilots, stewardesses, and frequent travellers.<\/p>\n Note:<\/strong> I originally said this would be a living post. It is not. I kinda gave up on finding good Thai food in Los Angeles.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pad-ORD (5301 Sunset Blvd)<\/h2>\n
![\"sm-20150108_122908b\"](\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/sm-20150108_122908b.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAyara Thai (6245 W 87th St.)<\/h2>\n
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