Ayada Thai 10-12-2010

Location: 7708 Woodside Ave. Elmhurst
Time: 7:30pm
People: 10 Ramen and Friends: MGru, ALev, Rich, JLam from MeSoHungry, Punj, MKang, MLev, StevenC, Eimmy, and myself

Feelings: AP once said, "There are so many Thai restaurants nowadays that it's hard to find a good Chinese take out." I cannot agree with him more. It seems mediocre Thai restaurants, the ones that cater to American's tastes, have usurped Chinese food as NYC's take out of choice. Thai cuisine is no longer exotic to New Yorkers, and it has become one of our staples such as pizza, sushi, falafel and Chinese. This means it is even harder to find the more authentic Thai, especially in Manhattan or Brooklyn. There is always Sripraphai in Queens, but can we let one restaurant monopolize the entire Thai cuisine in the city? As a food enthusiast, shouldn't we at least have one back up?

We headed over to Ayada Thai in Elmhurst in hopes that we would find something as equally as authentic and satisfying as Sripraphai, and perhaps better. StevenC liked the decor describing, "It's what more of the Thai restaurants on the west coast look like, simple, nice and not overdone." Some of us were intrigued by beautiful Marion Cotillard-esque waitstaff and their attentiveness. There was some miscommunication with our orders, but it was understandable due to the large group as we always experience at Ramen and Friends events.

Ayada's menu was not as extensive as Sripraphai, but ALev and MGru managed to order interesting dishes. Their papaya salad was flavorful and refreshing although ALev thought the one at Sriphrapai is better due to their fried watercress. The crispy pork and Chinese broccoli smelled amazing with fish sauce. Overall, they thought Sriphrapai was better, but there were some things they had never had before such as Sataw beans a.k.a "stinky beans." Why called "stinky beans," you may wonder? MGru answered that question the following day when she emailed me saying their pee has been "smelling like skunk."

Perhaps the best dish was JLam's Kang Som Sour Curry with omelet and shrimp. This protein packed dish had a nice seafood flavor, which was all absorbed into the omelet. We all highly encourage you to order this hearty dish as JLam did.

I enjoyed the sweet and tangy flavor of Yen Ta For (seafood noodle with red sauce), but I found the portion to be small. All the dishes I saw and tasted reminded me of Thai food in Japan with their delicate presentation and authentic yet restricted flavor. If Manhattan Thai caters to American's taste, Ayada surely caters to the Japanese.

If you are making a trip to Queens for the authentic flavor of Thai, I would recommend Sripraphai for its extensive menu. But if you don't want to wait in their long line or already live in the area, Ayada is a definite winner. Just be careful with the stinky beans!