If you’ve never been to Lan Phu Thai, does Café del Sol ring a bell? I was pretty surprised to see them in the exact same digs that once housed excellent Mexican food. Well, expect to eat just as good food, just Thai style! I remember reading several good reviews about LPT a few months ago but never put two and two together. Opened for a year now, we decided to stop in on a Friday afternoon for some lunch.
The moment I stepped foot in the door, I knew I was in good hands. The owner put on a one woman show while we were there as she was both our waitress and chef. We were the only ones there for lunch so I hope more people check them out in the future.
The inside is similar to it’s old digs with a few slight, warm changes. One thing that hasn’t changed is the music, which for some odd reason I can’t figure out, was Mexican. This is pretty bizarre as it doesn’t align in any way, shape or form with the Thai vibe. Change it.
We were given the dinner menu before she realized that she forgot to also give us the lunch menu.
I was stoked to see that they have lunch specials for only $10.25 from Tuesday to Saturday (11am to 2:45pm). Seven options to choose from and all the dishes includes jasmine rice (except for the pad thai obviously).
Thai iced tea
Apparently, Friday’s are free drinks (pop and juice) but she gave each of us a Thai iced tea on the house! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat. It was Dbone and Bbop’s first time having one (#uncultured) and it was love at first drink for them. Seriously, I have no idea how they’ve never experienced the glory/holiness of this drink.
Some kind of sweet sauce mixture. Don’t worry, it looks spicy but it’s not even one bit.
Pad thai (L1) ($10.25)
Stir fried rice noddle, egg, tofu, bean sprouts and peanuts. This was hands down everyone’s favourite dish. Make sure you throw that WHOLE bowl of spices into your noodles and mix everything up well. The heat is subtle but so well balanced and flavourful. Puts their pad thai on another level.
Pad ka prao (L2) ($10.25)
A spicy mix of minced chillies and garlic with sweet peppers, onions and Thai hot basil. This was surprisingly really good. The ground pork it came with was perfectly seasoned, moist and flavourful. Another hit.
Pad med ma muang (L3) ($10.25)
A classic mix with an assortment of vegetables and toasted cashew nuts. The sauce leans more towards the sweet side (I tasted a bit of ketchup sauce) and is a pretty typical dish. We wanted to try their house Thai sausage special ($15.00) but it was all sold out from the night before. I liked the cashews but would try something else next time.
Kaeng keaw wan (L5) ($10.25)
Thai green curry in coconut milk with green peas, vegetables and fresh basil. Their green curry was delicious! Again, not too spicy but just the right amount of heat to it. Good assortment of vegetables and all around, we were very happy with everything.
Tom kha gai (#7)
Savoury coconut soup with chicken, mushrooms, galangal and lemongrass. Our waitress brought this out to us halfway through our meal and again, it was on the house! So sweet (and unexpected) of her. All I can say is YUM – just watch out for the small, potent red chili peppers. Dbone accidentally ate one and his face turned a nice fiery red. Almost Charzard-esque. We had a good chuckle at his expense. Until I got a bite too. The tom kha was tasty and I could really taste the lemongrass. Perfect to warm up in -20 weather.
Just when I thought I’d been to all the authentic Thai places in town, I’m happy to say I’ve discovered a new spot. And in the north east side! Check them out at lunch – excellent value but their dinner menu is just as reasonable. I’ll be back soon to get my Thai fix.
Lan Phu Thai
6502 – 132 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
(780) 761-1650
CHERRY BOB-OMBS 