New Thai restaurant in Orem serves up ample helpings of both savory and sweet
Pad Thai With Chicken, including a rosebud made from tomato skins, is pictured at Savory Thai, located at 182 Center St. in Orem.
Duck Curry Noodles, or Khosoi, at Savory Thai.
Strawberry and banana crepes with whipped cream and a strawberry Italian soda at Savory Thai.
Green Curry With Srimp is pictured at Savory Thai in Orem.
Mango Sticky Rice and Coconut Milk at Savory Thai.
Thai iced tea at Savory Thai in Orem.
Pad Thai With Chicken at Savory Thai in Orem.
Duck Curry Noodles, or Khosoi, at Savory Thai in Orem.
When it comes to dining in Utah Valley, the Daily Herald’s Features Department is always on the lookout for new or never visited restaurants to try out. You’d think it would be an easy task considering the vast number of eateries in the area, but really, it’s that sheer number alone that makes finding somewhere different all the more complicated.
That being said, I was pretty excited when a few basic Google searches landed me on Savory Thai in Orem. Opened just over two months ago where Savory and Sweet once resided, the restaurant has quite a few things in common with its predecessor, including an impressive menu of scrumptious sounding crepe offerings and a variety of menu options that dabble in both the savory and the sweet.
My crew and I took to the restaurant on a Monday night and were pleasantly surprised by what we found. Nestled in a strip mall across from Target in Orem, the restaurant exudes the simple classiness of a stand-alone location, with tasteful decorating, mellow coloring and background music, and a beautiful yet simple tree mural adorning the wall opposite the entrance.
It only took a moment for us to be seated, and we quickly were given thick, hardbound menus with all-inclusive meal descriptions and photographs that had us eagerly anticipating our food before we’d even had the chance to order it.
Though my companions were well-versed in Thai cuisine, there were plenty of new dishes I hadn’t tried previously, so I was definitely appreciative of the food glamor shots and detailed ingredient descriptions in the menu, as well as a few pointers from one of the restaurant co-owners, who was more than happy to take time visiting with each of his guests.
Getting on to the more important stuff, though, the food itself, I feel it important to note that until dessert was served, there was not one singular dish that we all liked more than others, and we sampled quite a few things.
Everything came quickly, was well-prepared, cooked to order for even the pickiest people in our party, and suited each one of us.
The first to arrive were the Chicken Satay and Po-Pea Sod (or fresh vegetable spring rolls), and both were delightful.
I’m not much of a salad person, and considering spring rolls are kind of like a salad packed into rice paper, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed them. Paired with the dipping sauce, which transitions from sweet to tangy with a little bit of spicy at the end, and the combination was unbelievable.
The Chicken Satay came on four skewers, and though it lacked the grilled flavor we really enjoy in similar dishes, paired with the sweet peanut sauce, they made for a fantastic start to our meal.
The next to arrive was my dish of Pad Thai with chicken, and I’m definitely glad I followed the recommendation to get it. The rice noodles were perfectly cooked and seasoned, and when mixed with the side of peanuts and topping of egg, the flavor was fantastic. I also was surprised at just how filling the dish was.
We also tried the Khao Pad from the fried rice section of the menu, which features your choice of meat (in our case, beef), with scallions, carrots and other tasty toppings in an oyster sauce, which we initially ordered on the side, but soon mixed in for extra flavor.
The dish was well seasoned, and it didn’t take very long for my husband to make it disappear, with a little help from our toddler, who couldn’t get enough of the rice.
Finally, we sampled the Massamon Curry with chicken, which came with a thick, savory flavor punctuated by a sweetness that blended well with the ample portion of rice on the side. The curry included the typical potato cubes, as well as carrots, onions, roasted peanuts and red chili paste with Persian spice. The hearty ingredients definitely added texture to the dish, and the overall flavor was great.
After finishing up our meal, we decided we could make room to sample the Mango Sticky Rice, which consists of sweet jasmine rice, a house special sweet coconut milk, seasoned mangoes and an additional sprinkling of coconut. Though all the dinner options were enjoyable and we couldn’t come up with a solid favorite from among them, we hands down would have selected the Mango Sticky Rice if it was in the running, and wish we knew how it was made so we could eat it every day.
The texture of the dish was a little more soupy than we were expecting, but the flavors were beyond delicious. The rice was served warm, mixed into a pool of coconut milk and surrounded by sweet chunks of mango that left us wishing we’d each purchased our own.
Overall, we were definitely impressed with the extensive menu options, how quickly our food came, and the fact it’s obviously made fresh to order and customizable to each individual’s culinary preference.
Our main disappointment? How many more things on the menu we still have to try. With a $7.99 daily lunch special, I’m thinking there are some return trips in our near future.
SAVORY THAI
Where: 182 Center St., Orem
Prices: $7.99-$13.99 for main dishes
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, closed Sunday
Info: (801) 802-6000