Yum Kai Is Appropriately Named

Posted by DNR 16 Jul 2008 5 Comments

Finally! Good Pad Thai in Durham!

Another great find from my first exploratory trip to Greenwood Commons in RTP, Thai Lanna has been around in one form or another for about 20 years, according to the N&O. They’ve got an extensive menu, based on what’s in season, including soups, curry, about 15 entrees, and something called “squid in love,” which is my new favorite translated menu item.

We started with ginger lemongrass tea (it’s as good as it sounds) and a small salad with cilantro-lime dressing before moving on to the the pad thai with tofu and a special dish (that is always available during dinner) called yum kai - chicken, chili peppers, onions/cucumbers/carrots/celery/cilantro/whole mint leaves and lime vinaigrette on a bed of lettuce. The pad thai was without a doubt the best I’ve had in Durham, and the yum kai was just amazing. It was one of the most refreshing, summery dishes I’ve ever eaten, bursting with tons of flavors.

If you’ve been looking for good Thai in Durham for as long as I have, you should definitely head down to RTP. And in case you’re worried about the lunch crowd, we went at 1.30ish and walked into an empty dining room. It’s good not being a 9-5er.

Thai Lanna (map)
Lunch: 11 am - 2 pm
Dinner: 4 pm - 10 pm

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5 Comments »

burgeoningfoodie said:

What about Thai Villa? Thai Cafe? Twisted Noodle?

[Reply]

# 17 July 2008 at 11:04 am

burgeoningfoodie said:

Sorry Not Thai Villa that is a different region.

[Reply]

# 17 July 2008 at 11:14 am

DNR said:

It’s totally my own opinion, but I thought Thai Lanna was way better than Thai Cafe or Twisted Noodle. At the very least it’s worth a try!

[Reply]

# 17 July 2008 at 1:31 pm

essprit said:

Thanks for this! @burgeoningfoodie - for many of us who’ve lived in other areas, the Triangle region is woefully short on truly good Thai, especially in Durham/Chapel Hill. Sawasdee in North Raleigh is outstanding, but there’s nothing like it in Derm.

[Reply]

# 19 July 2008 at 1:07 pm

Carly said:

Mmmmm, I really like Thai Lanna. It is close to work. I also frequent Thai Villa in Cary, awesome spring rolls. Thai Cafe in Durham, and Sawasdee in Raleigh. All good Thai!

[Reply]

# 20 August 2008 at 1:52 pm

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