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Thai Pepper
Mandeville: 1625 US 190. 985-624-3057. Map. WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY WHAT'S GOOD BACKSTORY DINING ROOM ESSENTIAL DISHES FOR BEST RESULTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Casual.
AE DC DS MC V
The North Shore experienced a boom in Thai restaurants in the late Oughts, going from zero outlets for the exciting food of Thailand to eight now. This one has been open longest, with a fine record of consistency. The menu is long even by the standards of Thai restaurants, and includes all the classics. More than the usual number of Thai salads are here, all big enough to make an entree.
The menu is long even by the standards of Thai restaurants, and includes all the classics, made credibly with good ingredients. Unlike most Thai places, they will not automatically send out a pepperless dish if you don't ask for hot. More than the usual number of Thai salads are here, all big enough to make an entree. They also excel in serving whole fish.
This restaurant was one of the pioneers of Thai cooking on the North Shore. It began in 2005 as the Thai Pepper, operating in a grandiose location just off the intersection of the three Causeway Approach roads. (Across the lake, this is the center of the known universe.) After a year or so it changed its name to Thai Palace and moved to its present, less obvious location. (It's on the least intuitive of the three highways that are all called just US 190 through Mandeville. It really ought to have its own name.)
Not a palace, exactly, but a reasonably nice-looking space in a strip mall. The lady who owns it is always there, and most of the time she is the entire wait staff.
Starters
»Spring roll
Satays (skewers) of chicken, beef, or pork
»Golden stuffed chicken wings
Rice paper roll with shrimp, chicken and vegetables
Steamed Thai dumplings stuffed with chicken, pork, and shrimp
Shrimp or fish curry puff (like tempura)
Cheese roll (cheese-stuffed wontons)
Fried squid
»Thai salad
Shrimp salad
»Squid salad
»Roasted duck salad
»Yum voon saine (clear noodle salad with ground pork, green chilis, cilantro and lime)
Beef salad
Grilled chicken salad
Mango salad
»Papaya salad
»Larb (salad of ground meat with herbs, green onions and lime
»Tom juude voon saine (shrimp and chicken soup with garlic
Tom juude seaweed soup with pork and garlic
Wonton soup
»Tom yum soup with galangal, kaffir lime, lemon grass, lime, tomato, cilantro and shrimp
»Tom kha (coconut milk soup with galangal, kaffir lime, lemon grass, lime, tomato, cilantro and chicken
Entrees
Kang som soup (hot and sour with shrimp or catfish)
»Special seafood soup
Catfish with red curry
Jumbo shrimp with vegetables, black pepper and garlic
»Jumbo shrimp curry
Scallops with bell pepper, onion, garlic, basil
Mixed seafood red curry with pineapple, bamboo shoots, bell pepper
»Grilled shrimp panang curry, vegetables
»Whole red snapper with choice of curry, ginger, three-flavor, or basil sauces
Pineapple fried rice
»Crab fried rice
Thai fried rice
»Stir fry dishes (a choice of meats and seafoods, vegetables, and sauces, combined more or less any way you like)
Thai curries ("kang"), with choice of chicken, beef, pork or shrimp:
»Kang ka ree (yellow curry, coconut milk, potato, carrots, onions)
Kang musuman (musuman (sweet) curry, coconut milk, potato, carrots, onions)
»Kang ped (red curry, coconut milk, bamboo shoots, kaffir lime, bell pepper, zucchini
»Kang panang (Panang curry, coconut milk, kaffir lime, bell pepper
»Kang kheaw whan (green curry, coconut milk, eggplant, bamboo shoots, bell pepper, green beans
Jang pah (Thai "jungle" curry with many vegetables)
»Duck curry (red curry, coconut milk, tomatoes, grapes, bell pepper, bamboo shoots)
Noodles, with choice of chicken, beef, pork or shrimp:
»Pad thai (rice noodles, tofu, egg, bean sprouts, ground peanuts) Rad naa (rice noodles in a thick brown sauce with vegetables) Mee grob (same idea, with fried noodles)
»Pad see ew (stir fried rice noodles, sweet soy sauce with vegetables and egg)
Pad kee mao (rice noodles, tomatoes, spicy beef sauce) with your
Rice noodles and vegetables, chicken broth
Specials
»Crispy duck
Thai Palace chicken (breaded and fried with special brown sauce with savory vegetables)
»Thai barbecue chicken (half)
Fried eggplant, chicken, shrimp, basil, bell pepper
Desserts
»Mango sticky rice
Thai tropical fruit cocktail
Coconut or mango sorbet
If you want more than one course, just order the first one and say you'll think about what else you want. Otherwise, you might get the entire order at one time. They cook so rapidly that this strategy won't hold up your meal.
The waitress gets a little impatient sometimes if she's busy.
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Romantic
- Good for business meetings
- Open Sunday lunch and dinner
- Open Monday lunch and dinner
- Open all afternoon
- Unusually large servings
- Quick, good meal
- Easy, nearby parking
- Reservations accepted
