Delicious Thai, Pad Thai

Oh Winnipeg, how you continue to surprise me. I have often commented on the plethora of Asian diners in this city and had started to develop a sense of the best of each cuisine in town. That is, until a thorough Urbanspoon search revealed an even larger array of restaurants with strong reviews and positive ratings. Well here we go again. Thai food was one of my favorite growing up. Featuring delicious curries and stir fries, it was a vast and varied cuisine that was both similar and dissimilar to the rest of the Asian cuisines. Therefore, on the strength of their reviews and word of mouth, I went to Pad Thai.

Located far on the west end of Winnipeg, Pad Thai is certainly not easy to get to. Nor is the building itself anything to marvel at, but the owners do a nice job on the inside with well thought out decor, nice sturdy chairs and elegant tablecloths. For a restaurant situated in a less developed part of the city, it certainly had a large following with lots of diners filling the tables during their lunch service.

The menu is what you would expect from a Thai restaurant. Featuring curries, stir fries, noodles and rice dishes, Pad Thai tries to offer the classic dishes and touts their use of authentic ingredients and cooking styles.

The classic and measure of a Thai restraint (even more so when it is your namesake), Pad Thai Chicken. This smartly presented dish was excellent. Featuring robust noodles in a delicious tomato based sauce, the bean sprouts added an air of freshness and crunch. The protein was also excellent with slivers of tofu and pieces of succulent chicken breast. The dish is finished off with crushed peanuts and chilies. Delicious!

Having to try something else, I went with their Kaeng Khlaw Warn (Green Curry Beef). Green curries are known for their spiciness and the version here did not disappoint. A litany of fresh vegetables are stewed in a coconut broth with tender pieces of beef. Digging around the base you will find Pad Thai uses authentic ingredients including the difficult to find (and expensive) Thai Eggplant! It exemplifies their philosophy of using authentic ingredients and really shows an attention to detail that propels it above its competitors.

Overall Pad Thai was excellent. I cannot state enough how important it is to use authentic ingredients and cooking styles and Pad Thai does it in spades! For anyone in the St. James region it is an automatic recommendation for good Thai cuisine. I daresay it might rank highly as one of the best Thai restaurants in all of Winnipeg.