提到泰國料理，我猜，很多人第一個想到的，通常是冬蔭功（Tom Yum Goong），翻譯成中文，就是酸辣蝦湯，這道泰國最具代表性的湯品，結合酸、辣、鹹、鮮的獨特風味，紅通通的湯頭裡，有蝦子的鮮味、檸檬葉與香茅的清香，再加上辣椒和檸檬汁帶來的刺激，一口喝下，味蕾瞬間被喚醒，還曾在2011年時被 CNN 列為全球最好吃50項食物中的第8名，雖然泰國料理不是每樣都是很辣，不過，我對泰國料理的印象，就是又酸又辣。
這家泰國餐廳，位於人來人往的小巷弄內，走的是家庭路線，我突然想吃看看不一樣的味道，於是就來探探店，店家有幾樣超值套餐，分別是椒麻雞飯、綠咖哩雞飯、打拋豬肉飯、酸辣蝦湯河粉、咖哩豆腐飯等，在搭配上奶茶，椒麻雞飯、綠咖哩雞飯及打拋豬肉飯等都是泰國餐廳常見的菜色，不過咖哩豆腐飯及涼拌荷包蛋飯看起來就像是家常菜，果然是我一開始想的家庭餐廳路線。
我點的咖哩豆腐飯，口味如同預期，酸酸辣辣的，很開胃，而套餐的奶茶，就不怎麼樣了，我本來以為會是泰式奶茶，泰式奶茶的特色在於其鮮豔的橘紅色外觀以及極致香甜的口感，用紅茶搭配煉乳與奶水反覆沖泡，和一般奶茶相較，非常的甜，有些人受不了它的甜度，但是我非常喜愛，這杯奶茶非常的稀，完全沒有泰式奶茶的特色，真失望，總體而言，我只能給六十分。
我猜，這家餐廳應該是泰國移工或泰國新娘開的，能提供的就是家常菜，像是台灣泰式餐廳一定會有的月亮蝦餅就沒看見，不過，月亮蝦餅其實是由台灣廚師發明，並非泰國傳統料理，這裡沒有月亮蝦餅也不奇怪，此外，不是每位家庭主婦都有好手藝，能做出美味的菜色，大多數的媽媽們，頂多只是做出能吃得飽的菜色，可能是我之前的期望太高了，後來才會太失望了。
When it comes to Thai food, I guess the first thing that comes to mind for many people is Tom Yum Goong, or hot and sour shrimp soup in Chinese. This iconic Thai soup combines sour, spicy, salty, and savory flavors. The bright red broth is full of fresh shrimp flavor, along with the fragrance of kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass. Then there’s the kick from chili and lime juice. One sip is enough to wake up your taste buds. It was even ranked No. 8 on CNN’s list of the world’s 50 best foods back in 2011. Not every Thai dish is super spicy, of course, but when I think of Thai food, I usually think of something sour and spicy.
This Thai restaurant is tucked away in a busy little alley and has more of a home-style, family-run vibe. I suddenly felt like trying something different, so I decided to check it out. They had several value meal sets, including crispy chicken with spicy sauce over rice, green curry chicken rice, basil pork rice, hot and sour shrimp soup rice noodles, curry tofu rice, and more, all served with milk tea. Crispy chicken, green curry chicken, and basil pork are all common dishes at Thai restaurants, but curry tofu rice and spicy fried egg salad rice looked more like home-cooked dishes. So my first impression was right—it really did feel like a family-style restaurant.
I ordered the curry tofu rice, and the flavor was pretty much what I expected: sour, spicy, and very appetizing. However, the milk tea that came with the set was not great. I thought it would be Thai milk tea. Thai milk tea is known for its bright orange-red color and super sweet taste. It is usually made with black tea, condensed milk, and evaporated milk, and compared with regular milk tea, it is much sweeter. Some people can’t handle how sweet it is, but I personally love it. This milk tea was really watered down and didn’t have any of the usual Thai milk tea flavor, which was disappointing. Overall, I could only give this place a 60 out of 100.
I guess this restaurant might be run by Thai migrant workers or a Thai wife who married into a local family, so the food they offer is more like everyday home cooking. For example, I didn’t see moon shrimp cakes, which are usually found at Taiwanese Thai restaurants. But moon shrimp cakes were actually invented by Taiwanese chefs and are not a traditional Thai dish, so it is not surprising that they were not on the menu. Also, not every home cook is a great cook who can make amazing dishes. Most moms can probably only make food that fills you up. Maybe my expectations were too high before I went, which is why I ended up feeling more disappointed afterward.
