Phatphood Eating Twin Cities: Taste of Thailand – With many strip malls along the stretch of University Avenue in Fridley, there is a stand-alone restaurant that has been around for 15-years now, but only owned by the Thanane family for the past five years. Taste of Thailand Fridley serves authentic Thai cuisine in the most delicious manner. It may not look like the fanciest place to dine at, but I’m not here to eat the décor, and lets face it, some of the best places to get amazing food are hole-in-the-wall gems. Throw in the fact that a family is back in the kitchen preparing some secret recipes of their own for us to devour and you have that gem right here at ToT. Let’s eat!
No alcohol served here so we are starting off with some cool-cool refreshing beverages. Thai Ice Coffee and Thai Ice Tea with condensed milk, that’s a sugar rush for sure, and who doesn’t like a good tasting sugar rush? Cheers!
Fresh Spring Rolls – The best Spring Roll in the Twin Cities! Fresh vegetables, noodles, shrimp and pork, wrapped in rice paper and served with a delicious tangy sauce.
You can taste how fresh these are in every bite. Along with the fresh shrimp and pork, this is a perfect refreshing appetizer that is just a step above the others. Huge!
Goong Hom Pha (Shrimp Rolls) – Marinated shrimp wrapped in egg roll skin and deep-fried until golden brown. Served with a spicy sauce and fresh vegetables.
Firecrackers of shrimp. Boom! Can’t go wrong with these, so get a double order.
Stuffed Chicken Wings – Deep-fried chicken wings stuffed with ground pork, silver noodles, shiitake mushrooms, onions and water chestnuts.
Magically deboned deliciousness! @tonyflizzle said these were a first for him. I love introducing people to new food and this crossbreed of an egg roll and chicken wing was the perfect introduction. You’ll love these!
Tom Yum Goong – A favorite with Twin Citians, this delicious lemon-flavored soup has shrimp, straw mushrooms, lemon grass galanga, kaffir lime leaves, and Thai chili peppers, served with white rice.
A big bowl of Thai inspired comfort right here. Better known as a sour cure-all concoction filled with ample amounts of shrimp and secret torpedoes of Thai chili peppers. You’ve been warned.
Chicken Pad Thai – Another Twin Cities favorite. Stir-fried rice noodles with egg, bean sprouts and green onions, served with roasted peanuts and lemon wedge.
Their number one selling dish and I know why; because it is cooked and tossed perfectly. No clumps of clingy noodles, another fresh hit here with spice levels to your liking.
Roast Duck Curry – Skinless roast duck sliced and simmered in coconut milk with red curry paste, peas, tomato and sweet basil leaves.
If you know me personally, you know I’m the first one to invite myself over if your parents are cooking curry. Mussel, chicken, pork, tofu, I don’t care, I simply love curry. This is the first time I’ve had duck curry. It is thinly sliced evenly so it is consistent throughout the dish. Another Thai comfort dish at its finest. Another bowl please!
Whole Fried Tilapia – smothered with stir-fried sweet basil sauce (basil, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and fresh Thai chili peppers), served with white rice.
Look at that smile! I’m feeling the same way about this perfectly bathed whole fish. That’s if you don’t mind it mean muggin’ ya while you chomp away at its torso. Sweet and tender with a nice char crisp skin. Something new here so it’s not on the menu. Ask for this special and make it a permanent addition, it’s that good. With how it is prepared, it is very easy to eat both sides of the entire fish without even having to flip it. What a perfect dish to end this evening of authentic Thai food.
They also serve a daily lunch buffet Monday – Friday for $8.75 from 11am until the last customer leaves, typically around 1pm. They are only closed on Sundays and you can always get anything on their menu to go, which seems to be the popular route for most patrons. Notable mention; they have my absolute favorite cream cheese wontons.
Taste of Thailand 7890 University Ave NE, Fridley, MN 55432 (763) 571-1188
