| rev:text
| - partial review
-Building on her previous restaurants' menus, Nuit aims to deliver the most authentic Thai experience at Pai. Here, you'll see a few Regular staples like her yellow curry (Khao Soi) but plenty of new exciting North Thai plates to peruse. Actually, dining with just two people was pretty stressful for a hard-core food lover, as I literally wanted to order every dish. Regardless of what you order, though, everything is fully shareable, and the portions are rather generous so expect to ask for a take-home box to finish it off.
-For those who worry that Thai food may end up being too spicy for their taste, at Pai, you can fully customize the amount of heat in your dishes. From Mai Phet (no spice) to Phet Mak Mak (authentic Thailand style spicy)- you can have it how you want it no matter what. I see a semi-dangerous drinking game in the future with this.
Grabong ($10)
Vegetarian Deep Fried Squash Fritters with Garlic Tamarind Dip
[12]
Umm... yes. Guys, just order this. It was damn delicious and so addictive that if I didn't feel like I was eating a savoury funnel cake and thousands of likely calories, I would have polished it off myself and ordered another. Light and crisp on the outside, and fluffy and sweet within, paired up with a tangy bright tamarind dip. Okay, confession time here folks. This dip tasted like the "sweet and sour sauce" from McDonalds- and obviously I mean that in the BEST-WAY-POSSIBLE! Who can tell me they don't adore that stuff? WHO?!
Som Tum Tad with Salted Crab ($12)
Green Papaya, Long Beans, Chili &Tamarind Salad, Pork Rinds, Shrimp Chips & Noodles
[11]
Wow. This is not like any papaya you will ever order off justeat.ca. Sweet, sour, supple, crisp, and garnished with the briny salty pop of the fermented bits of black crab. The result is a very well balanced, vibrant dish with wickedly crunchy pork rinds and foamy shrimp chips for scooping. Yes, please.
Chef Nuit Chicken Pad Thai ($14)
Stir Fried Rice Noodle, Tamarind Sauce, Roasted Peanuts
[13]
Again, please forget the ketchup-laden crap you're likely accustomed to eating in take-out boxes. If it's not tamarind-based, it's not real Pad Thai. Chef Nuit's version is still semi-sweet, but is surprisingly light, refreshing and well balanced by the toasty note of roasted crushed peanuts. Insider tip- do add a squirt of lime from the wedge they include on the side- it really helps cut through the jammy sweetness of the tamarind and balance everything out beautifully.
Gaeng Masaman with Braised Beef ($15)
Braised Beef in a Peanut Tamarind Curry with Potatoes, Deep Fried Shallots and Jasmine Rice
[14]
This was my favourite dish of the night. The massive hunks of tender beef swam in a rich aromatic sauce. In retrospect, it actually had a similar flavour profile to the Pad Thai but with an opposite emphasis- more nutty savoury lusciousness with just a little sweet fruit flavour to balance everything out. No complaints here other than I wish I had room to eat more of it (thank goodness they offer good quality tuberware for curry take-away).
[4]
Closing Remarks:
-For 2 cocktails, and 4 dishes, the bill came to $95 including tax and tip and we went home with lunch for the next day. Talk about a fantastic deal. The food was really, really delicious (and I would rush back to work my way through the rest of the curries and mains), the cocktails were tasty and reasonably priced (for once!), the service was friendly and casual, and the place had a young fun vibe.
-In conclusion, Pai would be a fantastic choice for a range of occasions. From group get-togethers on a budget (where you can then order a lot of the menu to share), to quick bites nights before a show downtown, this would be an ideal spot for a fantastic meal. In contrast, I would say it's probably not your best bet if you're looking for an intimate drawn out date night as it's a bit too casual and fast paced to be great for that, but otherwise, there are a lot of occasions I'm looking for just this kind of joint. And the best part? They take reservations- so as long as you can think ahead, there's no need to worry about waiting in the overflow bar for a seat at this popular joint.
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