3712 9th SW Puyallup, WA 98373
253-864-7005
www.chilithai.com
It’s Saturday night and my wife and I find ourselves once again at Chili Thai, a quaint little restaurant located in the South Hill district of Puyallup, Washington only a lob wedge away from the center of downtown Tacoma. It’s a place where businessmen conduct their Friday lunches and where families come together after a long day of work and play. I’ve been here many times before and what keeps me coming back is the great food at prices that won’t break your wallet. This is the only Thai restaurant in the Tacoma area where you can get two entrees, an appetizer and drinks while keeping the tab under $40. The average cost per person being a little less than $17. Chili Thai also has a pretty decent selection of local wines, imported and domestic beers. I must warn you that you’ll be hard pressed to find this place. There aren’t any large signs to say” Here I am!”even though Highway 512 is about 1000 feet from the restaurant. The restaurant is located in a tiny plaza next to a couple of real estate offices. The parking lot is small, so finding parking usually is a tough thing to do.
The first thing you’ll notice is that, for its size, this is an extremely busy restaurant. Full booking is anywhere from 55 to 60 people on a given night. The second thing you’ll notice when walking into the restaurant is the authentic Thai antiques and pictures that line the pathway to the dining area. As you pass the kitchen, you are then greeted by a waiter, who essentially will be waiting hand and foot on you for the duration of your meal. With each visit, I am always reminded of how the tables are pretty small and bunched together, attempting to maximize the amount of customers they can serve each night, which doesn’t allow for much intimacy. I constantly find myself unintentionally listening to other people’s conversations. The lighting in the dining area is dim, with the real source of lighting being the tea candles that are on every table.
Dinner began with Spring Rolls and Crab Wontons as appetizers. The spring rolls are a Thai version of the Chinese classic egg roll, stuffed with a variety of vegetables, deep fried to perfection, accompanied by a plum sauce. The crab wontons are stuffed with crab meat and cream cheese, served with their special sauce, which tastes peculiarly close to the plum sauce that accompanies the spring rolls. Made fresh and brought out to you within five minutes, it’s piping hot.
Our main course consisted of the Classic Fried Rice and the House Spicy Noodles. The classic fried rice is made up of rice, egg, tomatoes( though I exclude them), broccoli and onions, served hot on a white and blue square plate. All of the noodle and rice dishes come with a choice of tofu, chicken, pork, beef, or prawns. On this occasion, I chose pork. I’ve had chicken in the past, but the pork complements the flavors of the broccoli and onions better. Also, it’s a little lighter on the palate. It’s a dish that I enjoy immensely, not too different from the fried rice you would enjoy at a Chinese restaurant. Don’t bother to put soy sauce on this dish, Chili Thai doesn’t offer it.
The house spicy noodles is a fantastic dish: a combination of stir-fried noodles, broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, basil, complemented by a chili sauce base. The basil adds a very distinct aroma, while the chili sauce adds spice and additional flavor that completes the noodles nicely.
Chili Thai has a reputation in the area for great customer service. Their wait staff are friendly, efficient and professional. If your water glass is running a little low, a waiter, sometimes not even your waiter, will fill it up. The food is made fresh and takes no longer than 10 or 15 minutes to cook. Though the restaurant is a little out of the way if you’re heading to up north to Seattle, if you’re ever in the Tacoma area and want a good value for your dollar, I definitely recommend Chili Thai.
by Andrew Cray
