Thai food at Ladda Bistro is perfect addition to downtown dining

The chef and owner at Ladda Bistro has actually been creating Thai food at this location for years, but just recently began running his own show. The dining room has been elegantly redesigned to fit more diners and the outdoor seating is one of the most charming areas in town.

While everything thing we had during our visit was spot-on perfect, there were a few stand outs. Spring rolls are always a good choice, plus the chicken satay skewers marinated and served with a traditional peanut sauce and the Jamaican-style chicken patties made with Thai spices were both excellent ways to start a great meal.

Other choices for our next visit include fried pork dumplings, sushi grade seared tuna, and fried calamari with basil tomato sauce.

I consider Pad Thai to be the baseline for any Thai restaurant, and Ladda’s shrimp version for $13 is just right. Their Southern Thai massaman chicken curry brings back coconut-flavored memories of a great vacation. The chef’s specials include crispy duck, several curries and the tenderest, sweetest set of ribs in a soy-tamarind sauce. I enjoyed my tiger shrimp with bacon in a clay pot, with fresh ginger, glass noodles and veggies for $16.

For lunch they serve a Japanese-style bento box that includes a main course, rice, Asian slaw, two springs rolls and a dessert for $11. Tuesday’s bento box features red curry chicken; Wednesday is spicy basil ground chicken; Thursday brings massaman chicken curry, and Friday is teriyaki chicken. Other dishes also are available at lunch, like drunken beef noodles, beef broccoli and chicken fried rice.

I haven’t have a chance to go for weekend brunch yet, but the menu includes delicious-sounding treats like smoked salmon Benedict on a hashbrown cake, biscuits and gravy, chicken and waffles, and creme brûlée French toast. The prices vary greatly per item, so check the menu before you go.

The service is kind and helpful, the prices are fair, and the food is delicious. Ladda Bistro is sure to become very popular in the next few months, so hurry in while it’s still relatively easy to get a last-minute table.

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This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 6:53 AM with the headline "Thai food at Ladda Bistro is perfect addition to downtown dining."