April 8, 2014 | Posted in:Dining out

If you are active on Twitter, maybe you’ve seen a few messages bounce back and forth between Ricky from TastyChomps, myself and others on various places around town to grab a bite. After reading more than once about Purple Orchid Cafe, I had to put in on the “to try” list. I’m glad that I did! The small restaurant is pretty spartan in the way of decor, but packs a lot of personality in the kitchen and genuine hospitality from the friendly owner, Nisa Fanou, behind the counter. The menu offers a comprehensive selection of authentic Thai appetizers, salads, fried rice, main dishes and noodles.

When I visit a new restaurant for the first time, I like to order a familiar dish and a specialty dish if I’m with a guest. Why? This helps me gauge their style of cooking and get a baseline for how the kitchen operates. For example, when I ordered Pad Thai and requested it to be medium spicy, Nisa let me know that Purple Orchid cooks their Pad Thai one way and brings a spicy condiment tray to the table for guests to season to taste. We asked about the Pha-Ram and what protein she would recommend; she steered us to the pork or chicken.

The Purple Orchid kitchen has no problem kicking up the heat. Take note on the menu if the dish is spicy and if you are a person who likes spicy foods, ordering here “medium – hot” may be fine for you. “Thai hot” is, well, HOT.

My guest and I ordered the Pad Thai with Tofu, which had great flavor and was a healthy dinner portion with lots of pan fried tofu chunks throughout. The signature tartness from the tamarind was present and the sauce finished with a faint heat. I added some of the accompanying ground chilies for more kick and found the balance I was looking for to counteract any sweetness. The noodles were cooked well and there was a great sauce-to-noodle ratio. I’d happily order again.

We moved on to the Pha-Ram, a peanutty stir fry of the protein of your choice, served over vegetables and with a side of steamed rice. We opted for the chicken, which was all white meat and very tender. The peanut sauce was savory with little heat, as ordered. There was a nice mix of crisp-cooked fresh vegetables under the chicken, nothing was mushy or overdone.

We finished with the Panang Curry with Tofu, spicy, another favorite. The coconut milk curry had nice body and finished with great heat. The vegetables were cooked well and there was a filling amount of tofu included. The dish was served with rice, which almost soaked up all of the delicious curry sauce by the end of the meal. Each dish was under $10 as ordered; the prices were very reasonable and a great value for dinner.

There was a steady stream of diners in the small restaurant and take out orders regularly being taken over the phone. Nisa checked on us regularly throughout our meal and when I asked if they had the ground chilies in the small grocery section by the register, she walked me over to where I could pick up a sizable pouch. ($2.00) Again, a very friendly atmosphere that had me feeling like my grandma or aunt was checking in on me- I would not hesitate to eat anything Nisa suggested. I’m already looking forward to my next lunch or dinner visit to Purple Orchid Cafe.

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