Thai House Cuisine a hidden treasure in Provo
Red Curry is served at Thai House Cuisine in Provo.
Red Curry is served with rice at Thai House Cuisine in Provo.
Pad Thai is served at Thai House Cuisine in Provo.
Thai Orange Chicken is served at Thai House Cuisine in Provo.
Pho is served at Thai House Cuisine in Provo.
Satay Chicken is served at Thai House Cuisine in Provo.
Steam Buns are served at Thai House Cuisine in Provo.
I recently learned from personal experience it’s all too easy not to notice some of the great things in life that are standing right in front of us.
Despite living in Provo and having studied for three and a half years at Brigham Young University, I had never eaten at Thai House Cuisine, located just south of the BYU campus and formerly known as Thai Ruby, until last week.
I have clearly been missing out.
My party of four visited the Provo restaurant, which also has locations in Lehi and Pleasant Grove, on a rainy day and enjoyed the tranquil refuge and quaint Thai decor inside. We were seated promptly with menus and appreciated good service throughout our visit.
With the help of our waiter, we ordered a few of Thai House Cuisine’s most popular dishes — Pad Thai, Red Curry, Thai Orange Chicken and Pho — as well as a couple of appetizers: Satay Chicken and Steam Buns.
The Pad Thai — stir fried rice noodles, eggs, onions, bean sprouts, green onions and meat, in this case chicken, served with crushed peanuts, a lime slice and a vegetable garnish — was probably our favorite entree. I especially enjoyed the sweet and savory Thai flavor of the sauce the dish had been cooked in.
The Red Curry — Thai House Cuisine’s medium hot curry dish, with the Yellow Curry being the least spicy and the Green Curry being the spiciest — was also delicious. The meat, vegetable and sauce mixture, which we ordered with beef, was tangy and had a healthy amount of spicy kick, served with steamed white rice.
We also loved the Thai Orange Chicken, which reminded us of a traditional Asian sweet and sour chicken dish. The sauce was sweet and tasty, and we especially liked that the entree was made with good-quality pieces of well-cooked meat.
I was also intrigued with the flavor of the Pho, a Thai house noodle soup served with meat, in this case beef. This was my first experience eating Pho, and I was pleased. I asked for the least spicy version of the dish and enjoyed its unique and interesting combination of savory, sweet and bitter flavors.
The Satay Chicken appetizer was also a highlight of our dinner at Thai House Cuisine. The chicken — which had been marinated in coconut milk, Thai herbs and light soy sauce, cooked, and served on skewers — was still very hot when we bit into it, but paired perfectly with the smooth, scrumptious peanut sauce it was served with to create a mouthwatering start to our meal.
The Steam Buns, although a bit solid, especially when it came to the filling, were also tasty, stuffed with ground pork and mixed vegetables.
All in all, we were impressed with our experience at Thai House Cuisine. The food was delicious, the service was great and the pricing was reasonable. I am grateful to have found a Thai food treasure in my own backyard.
THAI HOUSE CUISINE
Where: 744 E. 820 North, Provo
Hours: Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., closed Sunday.
Prices: $2.99-$14.99
Info: (801) 375-6840, lehithaihouse.com