Big Daddy and I have been wanting to try a Thai restaurant
that has gotten rave reviews since opening. Sawasdee Thai Restaurant & Bar
sits in a shopping center off Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh, NC. The owner and chef,
Deanne, was born and raised in Thailand and she brings an authentic flair to
the dining table.
The atmosphere was okay, nothing spectacular. There are booths along one wall, tables in the center of the room, stools at the bar and
a cute little corner area with these over-sized wicker chairs and a ton of green
plants. It was the décor in this part of the building that I thought they
should have run with through the entire restaurant but that was just me. All in
all it was clean and comfortable. The staff was attentive and friendly and from
the moment we walked through the door we liked the place.
Knowing that Thai food can be extremely spicy we decided to
take it slow and ease our way into those classic dishes that come overly packed
with peppers. And of course we started with fried chicken!
It was an appetizer call Chicken Tatsuta Age and it was thin
slices of chicken breast marinated with Thai seasoning. The chicken was melt in
our mouth tender and it was a great start to the meal. Just thinking about it
has me craving some right now!
Big Daddy was only feeling so adventurous. He ordered a mix
of the Pineapple Fried Rice and Thai Fried Rice. It was jasmine rice with eggs,
tomatoes, onions, pineapple and chicken. It was an overly generous portion and
with the pineapple it was slightly on the sweet side. I call it a mix because
the pineapple version comes with curry seasoning, crunchy cashew nuts and
raisins which he didn’t want. The server suggested he just take the regular fried rice and add the pineapple and chicken. It worked. I really liked it but
next time I plan to try it as it comes. Notice I did say next time!
I ordered the Garlic Chicken. I love Chinese garlic chicken
and wanted to compare the two. My plate was a nice serving of tender chunks of
chicken breast stir fried with broccoli in a minced garlic sauce. It came with
a serving of jasmine rice on the side. The sauce was more thin gravy consistency
but the taste was fresh and light, not at all thick and heavy like the Chinese version.
I thoroughly enjoyed it!
We ended the meal with something called Ka Nom Tuay. It was a
steamed dish of coconut pudding. It was hot when it was served and the first
bite didn’t wow me. As it cooled the taste got sweeter but the texture was
still off putting. I couldn’t get past the lumpy, pasty feel in my mouth. It was not
our favorite part of the meal and we won’t be ordering it ever again.
We will, however, be revisiting Sawasdee. The meal was
really good and I’m excited to try more of the food. They also have a sushi bar
and a ramen noodle bar so there’s a long list of things we can’t wait to experience.
This was a definite winner for us!