Eastside Thai

Do you love Thai food? Do you love affordable food? Then Eastside Thai is the restaurant for you! Eastside Thai has proudly been serving the St. Paul community their authentic Thai dishes for over a decade now. They have had a very loyal fan base for those years, but now are looking to really make a name for themselves in the competitive Thai cuisine market—and after eating their food, you too will be convinced that their eats are competition for one of the very best Thai places in town.

Elle Kunsawat and her husband, Kou Lee, are the creative geniuses behind why Eastside Thai has been so successful. Their venture began when they took over the restaurant space Elle’s aunt had used as a small Asian candy/snack shop, featuring homemade packaged treats. After Elle’s aunt decided she could no longer run the business, Elle, having experience in the industry as a server for different Thai restaurants, decided to add her own menu in addition to the making and selling the candy. “Making and packaging the candy takes a lot of time, and doesn’t make as much money in the end,” said Elle, “so we figured, why not expand the business?” And henceforth, her gift of cooking became available to us all.

At first glance, one wouldn’t think that Eastside Thai is all that special. Its outdoor decorum is out-of-date (note the unremarkable brown and tan awning bearing the name) and even Elle herself says that the location isn’t quite as popular of a spot as she would like. “We have to close a little earlier than other [restaurants] do,” she stated. On the inside, the place is laid back—traditional artwork bought from the streets of Thailand, mismatched chairs, and small drink cooler shining in the back—not upscale by any means. But whatever the location or decor, the food truly speaks for itself.

The restaurant has had its share of ups and downs: “We have a very loyal fan base, and business is okay, but we really want to expand. We haven’t ever done real promotion—it’s all been word-of-mouth and through family connections,” said Elle. Also, in the past, the restaurant had not accepted credit cards as a method of payment, and was also closed on the weekends. But all of that has changed: they now accept credit and debit and also are open on Saturdays. “We do well during lunch, but I’d really like to attract a dinner crowd,” shared Elle.

Eastside Thai features a lot of traditional favorites, such as Pad Thai and Red Curry (both awesome and personally, the best Pad Thai I have ever had—especially for only $6.95), but the 20+ item menu also boasts a variety of high-quality specialty dishes, too. “We cater a lot to the Hmong community,” says Elle, which aided in her decision to use crispy pork belly in a variety of dishes. Don’t miss the Crispy Pork Belly and Baby Bok Choy—one of the best stir fried dishes I have ever had in my life. Also notable is the Combination Pho, which has its own twist as well, filled with shrimp, pork belly, and fresh vegetables in a delectable broth. “It’s one of our best sellers,” says Elle, “nobody has ever not liked our pho.”

You will be tempted to order soup and rightfully so. “I have a customer who orders the same thing every time: our lemongrass chicken soup [with a coconut broth]. He says that whenever he eats it, he feels like a king!” laughs Elle. It truly seems so: the soups all come with an amazing presentation piece—a unique trait as Elle picked up the pieces herself from Thailand. The soup ‘bowl’ (for lack of better word) comes filled with soup that could feed at least four. The contraption allows the soup to stay hot and be shareable for a group, family-style. Other soups they make include a Tom Yum soup with shrimp, and a pork, mushroom, and tofu clear soup—all three are equally delicious, impressive, and extremely affordable at $9 apiece. What is difficult is deciding which of the three to have!

A must-try for authenticity are the local specialties such as the beef Laab salad and the Yam Beef: cold beef spiced with fresh Thai basil, lemongrass, limes, chiles, cilantro, onion, and rice powder. The meat is so tender and the flavor packs a punch! Eat it with the accompanying bok choy leaves leaves to have an authentic and unique lettuce wrap. “Every ingredient we use is fresh and local,” says Elle, “we use so many herbs…cilantro, green onion, lemongrass, galanga, ginger…and we buy it all from the Farmer’s Markets.” Another special addition: in the summer, they grow their own Thai basil in the restaurant’s backyard.

Also notable are Eastside Thai’s tilapia dishes—tilapia often takes a backseat as a prominent fish on the market today, but you will feel like you are eating a top grade fish dish when you have one of Eastside Thai’s specialties. The boiled whole tilapia is presented amazingly, in a beautiful fish shaped dish (clever), boasting a small compartment that holds an open flame to keep everything nice and hot. You won’t believe you’re paying under $10 for such a fancy dish. The tilapia itself is boiled to perfection: the meat is firm and flavorful and the broth is to die for—mild and delicate, but bursting with depth of flavor. My family has been coming to this place for years and they are crazy about this dish and when I advised my boyfriend/dining companion to try it, he exclaimed, “I see exactly what your family means!” Out of the five dishes we ordered (and three appetizers), he proclaimed that the mild fish dish was, “by far the best thing we ordered tonight.”

If a fish broth isn’t your thing, try the fried specialty—a deep fried whole tilapia covered in one of two sauces: the house special or the peanut curry. The house special sweet and sour sauce is made with Thai basil, tamarind, garlic, and is a little on the spicy side, which Elle says is the best way to eat it. “Sometimes people come in and ask for things to not be spicy, but I’m telling you, it just doesn’t taste the same. Especially with this dish, I won’t make it without the pepper flakes—it’s just not as good.” If spice isn’t your thing, Elle highly recommends her peanut curry sauce. “People come in all the time asking for the recipe!” says Elle, “the sauce is a familiar flavor that works well for people who don’t want the spice.”

And even if nothing I have just mentioned works for you, an exciting change that has recently been introduced are all of the new specialty dishes just added to the menu—so new they aren’t even in the menu yet, so don’t forget to ask about them! The new items offered are Kao Poon (a curry noodle soup, popular in the Hmong community), Kao Kaprow (Thai basil) with chicken or beef, Pad See Yew, Green Curry, Cashew Nuts with Chicken, and Tri-Color (nab vam). And boy was I pleasantly surprised when Elle dished up some of her latest new favorite dish: Thai Holy Basil Fried Rice. This dish is a must—the other fried rice options are good, but this one wins hands down. The basil is fresh and spicy, but not overpowering, and the meat is…crispy pork belly. The rice has a lightly sweet flavor and it is fried to perfection. It is delicious…if you don’t like pork belly or have never tried it, this is the dish for you.

I think my dining companion said it best when he stated, “I feel like I’m at home.” Truly the meals feel home cooked, taste home cooked, and you get the home atmosphere—all for under $15. In fact, we ordered Thai Egg Rolls (very good and Hmong approved—this ain’t your Chinese egg roll here!), spring rolls (fresh and newly added to the menu), cream cheese wontons (delish!), Pad Thai with chicken, Red Curry with Beef, Yam Beef, a Whole Boiled Tilapia…and the whole order only came to $42.00 (yes, only FORTY TWO bucks!), not including tip (of which I gave them a hefty one, it was so good and service was so extremely nice). Elle was even nice enough to throw in a couple of homemade drink specialties for us: Thai Iced Tea and Thai Iced coffee—perfect ways to end a meal and cleanse a pallet.

Elle shared with me that she takes a trip every year back to her hometown in Northeast Thailand. There, she learns tricks of the trade, paying locals to teach her how to perfect their authentic dishes, which she says makes a huge difference. “The little things…you wouldn’t believe how much of a difference it makes!” she says, “it makes our food really authentic. I’ve worked in other Thai restaurants and all the other places seem Americanized—meaning that the food tends to be very sweet. But the truth is that people in Thailand don’t eat their food that sweet. I actually have a lot of customers who are Thai who come and eat my food because they feel like it actually tastes like the food they’re used to, like it’s homemade.” The annual trek for new dishes means that Eastside Thai is unfortunately closed for a month or so every year—but if you have the patience, what Elle and Kou bring back will amaze you. Good things come to those who wait!

It may look and feel like you’re at home, but when the food comes, you will feel like you’re eating at the King’s Royal Palace.

879 Payne Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55101 (651) 776-6599

HOURS:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 11:00 A.M. – 7:30 P.M.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 11:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M.

*Dine-In or Take Out

*Eastside Thai offers party trays, catering, and caters weddings, too!

By Elizabeth Thao