Thai Café brings exotic flavorings to the Valley
Experience an extensive menu at a reasonable cost at one the area’s local hidden treasures
By Cristen Latzoni, contributing writer
Posted on October 30, 2006

Ever crave exotic food, but the aromas of D-hall are keeping you away from dipping into what the “Accents” table has to offer? I suggest you hop, skip and jump your way to Thai Café on Neff Avenue (right behind Valley Mall). With its vast menu, quick service and reasonable prices, Thai Café is a virtual paradise for the hungry college students seeking variety in their diets.

Walk a few steps back toward the cash register and you’ll see a fish tank that holds a creature so striking that Steve Irwin himself would have been flabbergasted — just one element of Thai Café’s atmosphere that renders the quaint restaurant so distinctive. Don’t change out of your JMU sweatshirt yet, as Thai Café, despite the swanky fish tank, maintains a truly casual atmosphere. The restaurant allows customers to seat themselves at any one of its tables that sit from two to eight people. If you like to be creative with your meals, every table comes prepared with countless Thai sauces and flavorings free to use and release your inner iron chef.

However, since the food is so delicious, these flavorings aren’t necessary since you won’t want to alter one grain of rice. Not to mention, the service is so fast that you barely have time to figure out which sauce is which.

With everything from never-fail egg rolls to more unique pad drunken noodles — chicken, beef, pork or tofu stir-fried with wide rice noodles and an array of vegetables in a sweet, thick sauce — Thai Café is sure to please. I ordered and enjoyed the yellow curry, which can be your choice of chicken, beef, pork or tofu sautéed with yellow curry paste, coconut milk, basil, pineapples and various vegetables. My mouth wasn’t overwhelmed with spiciness, but  I definitely experienced a kick that would be difficult to match.

Even though I loved my meal, I couldn’t finish it on account of Thai Café’s generous portion sizes —  a benefit that always yields one of the hungry student’s favorite possessions: leftovers.

The $8.25 went a long way, as I’ll be savoring my yellow curry for lunch tomorrow. In fact, $8.25 goes a long way for many items on the menu as it seems to be the average price of entrées. However, you can delight in a satisfying meal for less than $6 or splurge for the most expensive item on the menu, which was the hot basil with seafood for $10.95. If you’re in the mood for a three-course meal, appetizers run as inexpensive as $2.25 and all desserts are $2.50.

So, grab a few friends and take a few minutes to travel to Thai Café. With its great food, informal ambiance, sensible prices and potential for leftovers, this exotic eatery is sure to leave you satisfied without burning a hole in your pocket.