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When I mentioned Suphan Thai in our previous newsletter I had not yet eaten there, and had only the endorsements of folks who had been there for their “tasting event” about the quality of the food. Now, after having eaten at Suphan for dinner, I can confidently recommend Suphan Thai Restaurant to you as a positive dining experience. Suphan has only been open for about three weeks and the menu is very focused as they plan to expand from core menu items as the restaurant develops. They expect to offer beer and wine later this year, too.
When you enter Suphan, you will encounter walls filled with photos, paintings, and artwork from Thailand. You will hear Thai music playing on the video monitor. You will see people eating Thai food and smiling! You will probably be greeted by Brad Jiblits, owner of Suphan Thai, who will seat you and give you menus. Once you order, you will receive complimentary “chips and salsa”, which is their Thai version of an appetizer while you wait for your order. They give you a small plate that has Som Tom (papaya salad) and sweet sticky rice. That’s really thoughtful!
We ordered Sa-Tay ($8) Which is meat (choice of pork or chicken) marinated with fresh herbs and spices, grilled on a stick and served with peanut sauce. We received five large skewers of tender and succulent chicken that was grilled just long enough. The homemade peanut sauce was mild and tasty. I did order a Thai Tea which I thought wasn’t strong
enough. That was my only complaint!
For our next order we had Fresh Lumpia ($8) which is rice paper wrapped with deep fried tofu, egg, mixed vegetables and noodle served with homemade sauce. There are six pieces (enough to share) and they are really fresh and really meatless! I know a lot of vegetarians who would enjoy this fresh lumpia. All of their food has NO MSG, as well.
We told Brad we’d have Medium-Heat for our entrees and if we needed more heat, we could add our own red pepper. Our next dish was the Red Curry Bamboo, cooked with coconut milk, bamboo shoots and fresh basil (Chicken, Beef or Tofu $9, Shrimp $10) and we went with the the Shrimp option. We were told by Brad that he and his Thai wife, Prathum, (“’Thum” pronounced “Toom”) pick fresh bamboo shoots and use young coconut in making their Red Curry. Just by looking you can see there’s a different layering of ingredients. You can taste the difference. The basil on top is from Thum’s garden. The shrimp were big and juicy! No skimping here!
Our last entree was Pad Thai - Thailand’s classic stir noodle dish made with egg, tofu green onion, bean sprouts, and chopped peanuts, (Chicken or Tofu - $9.00, Shrimp - $10) . We had the chicken version and were we surprised by the portion. I squeezed the lemon over the sprouts and noodles, blended in the red pepper and peanuts. Our first bite convinced us to have more! It was an excellent Pad Thai. Like a few other folks, we rate a Thai restaurant by its Pad Thai. This
is definitely worthy! Other dishes to try are the Noodle Soup, which Brad says is Thum’s specialty. The Penang is also recommended. We’ll definitely come back. Supan Thai is open from 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Monday - Saturday!
