My partner was craving Thai on Smith St., so we were left to just a few options. There are just two restaurants near us, “Thaism” and this one. The former seemed to be very casual with very typical flavors, but this one seemed a bit more inventive. I learned that the chef worked in many restaurants previously, and this is his first restaurant that he co-owns with colleagues he met along his journey. We walked into this restaurant around 4:00 PM on a Saturday without any concerns for waiting.
Ambiance & Service
The interior is meant to emulate Thai floating markets, with exposed brick walls, gold leaf lettering, chandeliers, and decor that speaks Thai.
The service was fairly quick once ordered, though the food came out at odd times. I was almost done with my rice dish before my partner’s pineapple course came out. The host mentioned that if we reviewed the restaurant on Google and showed it to them, they’d give us a Thai tea or coffee to go.
Food
The Butterfly Pea Lychee Soda ($9 - right) came with butterfly pea juice, lychee syrup, and soda. This tasted pretty much like lychee syrup with bubbles.
The Strawberry Guava Fizz ($9 - left) came with berry mix, guava, and soda. This had a citrus sensation to it, and I felt it was a bit sweeter than the lychee. I did not taste the guava as prominently as I’d hoped.
The Duck Crepe ($13) came with crispy duck, cucumber, scallion and carrot wrapped in roti bread. The duck here wasn’t really that crispy, and some of the lettuce looked age. Nonetheless, this reminded me a bit of an alternative bao style wrap.
The Phuket Two-Way Rice ($26) came with steamed rice topped with shrimp, Chinese sausage, fish, and slow cooked pork. They give you some broth on the side to pour into the rice after you are tired of eating it dry. This was actually pretty good. The rice was soft, and they gave plenty of random things in your rice to eat. The only gripe I have is the slow cooked pork turned out to be crunchy around the tendons. I think the cooking method they chose ended up softening the pork meat but left the tendons uncooked basically. It turned out very crunchy, which was odd to eat. Everything else was good. About half way thru eating this, you can pour the soup into the bowl, and it gives it another sensation. The broth, albeit by itself is on the bland side, accentuated the rice dish in its entirety.
The Royal Pineapple Fried Rice ($35) came with soft shell crab, shrimp, egg, onion, and cashew nut. It was served in a hollowed-out pineapple. The rice was very hot, and there was a lot going on in this. The fried rice was actually very aromatic.
Overall Impression
For a neighborhood Thai restaurant, this place has its gimmicks, but the food was decent. It’s probably a restaurant we’d bring guests to try something that is Thai and not too far out there.
Yelp & Google Jabs
it’s probably not your place if you are seeking a more authentic Thai-style cooking.
Frankly, Thai restaurants are overly saturated, so I commend this restaurant on making an effort to be different than the others. This Elitist might have confused adventurous with “Americanized”.
I placed a $60 order on their website (thinking I’d be helpful and support the business by using their chosen platform, Sauce).
As much as restaurants are struggling, this really is just Darwinism at its finest. Restaurant competition is fierce, but the big platforms have already won. I would say don’t inconvenience yourself thinking you’re really helping. Most likely the restaurant prefers the bigger platforms because they’ve already streamlined supporting those platforms.
Revisions
- Sep 5, 2026 - Initial revision.