193 Howard St.
Wilcox Emporium
Boone (828) 264-0434
Fax -0439Hours:
Lunch 11-3 MF, 10:30-3 SaSu
Dinner 5-10 SunMTWTFSat
We have eaten a number of times at Cha Da Thai and they have all been pretty good. I have given up on getting Ray’s comments so, for now, here is are comments from my latest visit, with some memories of previous visits added. I was joined by another lunch companion on this most recent visit. Their menu lists a Winston-Salem location and a website but the latter seems to have no content as of 4/5/08.
Tom: I had one of the Lunch Thai Curry Specials, the Kang Masaman Curry. This is a light brown curry sauce with coconut cream, onion, potatoes and peanuts. I chose the shrimp specifically to see if I got more actual shrimp than in previous visits. I would be disappointed again.
It came with a small bowl of your basic generic Asian, clear, chicken-based broth soups with a smattering of slightly overcooked vegetables. I guess the pot had been on the stove for a couple of hours by then. It included a few peas, carrots, onions, potato pieces, celery and some chunks of tofu. It’s odd that I could not identify it with any of the soups listed on the menu. The lack of true Thai embellishments was obvious–there were no chili peppers or lemongrass to be seen or tasted. I love lemongrass–it should be in all clear Thai soups. During an earlier visit I specifically had the Tom Yum soup and it was much better. I guess this was Tom Not So Yum. It was also only tepid at best.
The entrees arrived nicely timed as we were finishing the soup. The entree included steamed rice, which was perfect. I wish I could make rice as nice at home!
As all of my experience had shown, the curry sauce was excellent. I have had the green and red–this was my first brown. The spiciness was just right–it had a good heat without being so hot as to be uncomfortable. (You know what I mean–most of us have made that mistake!) Of course, Ray would have had to order something hotter–this had a one chili rating on their system (”mildly hot”).
The problem was with the balance of the ingredients. There were a lot of onions, and I mean a lot. They clearly dominated the dish and there were so many that my companion did not finish hers. She got the same meal but with chicken instead of shrimp.
Ray: So, how did you find the shrimp?
Tom: I moved a potato chunk and there they were! Seriously, there were only 3 (three, tres, drei) shrimp. I think that I got more than this at dinner hour in the same meal, but heck, they charge more at dinner anyway. Even at lunch the shrimp (or beef) cost $2 more than the chicken dish. And, I only get three shrimp at lunch? Geez! Now, c’mon, a pound of 30-40 ct shrimp (like these) is $10 on sale at the Teeter (and I imagine their cost must be like the sale price), making a single shrimp cost about a quarter. And they can only put 3 in it?
My companion’s dish had much more chicken than mine had shrimp. However, she was disappointed to find no peanuts in it–mine had plenty. The wavy-cut potato pieces were neat, though, and nicely cooked.
And, did I mention the rice was perfect?
To wash it down I had the usual Singha beer, but my companion decided to try one of the “Bubble Teas,” in this case the “Thai Spiced Tea.” She described it as a “Virgin Margarita” since it had that texture and temperature. She found it delightful, including the Tapioca spheroids–not sure what they are since Wikipedia describes only a processed root, which is white, and these are dark colored. The straw provided is large enough to actually slurp up the mostly tasteless (? she had a cold…) Tapioca .. er … spheres.
The service was initially slow, a bit surprising since we arrived about a quarter after noon to find it not really crowded yet. It took at least 10 minutes before we saw any waiter. After that the service picked up to a more normal pace. It was not getting crowded until we left after 1:30, when the popularity of the place was obvious–a good number of diners and a short line to be seated (still plenty of tables, though).
The decor is very nice, and has been tastefully finished with lots of wood. There are a number of aquariums scattered about. It is odd that they leave up their Christmas decorations, though. I think they should put those away. They don’t quite fit.
The china and flatware are nice and solid, characteristic of a good restaurant.
This is an excellent place to eat either lunch or dinner, and we will keep visiting. I just hope they increase the shrimp count. If they do I will bump the rating up a half-plate.
Menu (prices may change)
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