Thai Diner

Uncle Boons was always one of my fave spots. Uncle Boons Sister made it through the pandemic. Sadly Uncle Boons did not, but luckily they found a bigger and better spot, Thai Diner. It is so good inside and out. Close your eyes when you walk in, and you could easily pretend you were in Southeast Asia. The bar is fantastic. I can hardly wait for them to open up those seats!

We got there at 6 pm thinking we would beat the crowds. A few resys, but basically a walk-in spot. Obviously, we weren’t the only ones. This is an excellent sign.

Even the booths inside have an eye to detail down to the napkins.

Love the wicker screens.

You have to love the fact that you can get a classic hamburger here, although I am curious how many people order it. The breakfast menu looks pretty good, too—basically something for everybody. We started with the Som Tum. You can add anything to it from tofu, fried egg, chicken, fried chicken, beef, or prawns. We added nothing—thin long strips of green papaya with Thai chilis, tomatoes, and crispy peanuts. Our friends don’t eat seafood, so we opted out of the crispy dried shrimp on top. No biggie. It was so good we ordered a second one.

Laab was not what I expected. It comes with fried chicken vs. shredded chicken. I might opt for the mushroom laab next time. It comes with a salad of cucumbers, lime, mint, toasted rice powder, and sticky rice. We ordered another one of these too.

Khao Soo Kaa Kai was excellent. Northern style Thai golden curry with egg noodles, rainbow chard, shiitakes, pickled mustard greens, and fresh turmeric. Spicy but not too spicy. The noodles melt in your mouth.

We did feel compelled to order Uncle Boon’s Khao Pot Puu, a traditional crab fried rice with egg, lime, and cilantro because only Fred and I were going to eat it. I am 100% sure that Fred ate 95% of the entire dish.

Big fan of the Pad See Eiw. Thick rice noodles stir-fried with soy, egg, and Chinese broccoli. Those thick noodles. I can’t get enough of them.

No dessert this evening, but we strolled back to our apartment after dinner. The city was hopping. There aren’t enough restaurants open these days to feed all the mouths. Looking forward to more new openings. This past weekend felt like one big celebration.