Hometown Slop: Thai Lotus: A Beach Resort in Salt Lake City

Monday, December 3, 2012

Located in Downtown Salt Lake, Thai Lotus has been around for about 8 years. Prior to that, this location was a Filipino restaurant that I frequented. Having lived in the Philippines for 2 years, you could say that I was addicted to the cuisine. The karaoke was also part of the Filipino experience at the restaurant. Not one that I participated in but definitely worth watching.

My friend highly recommended Thai Lotus. With a goal to try every Thai restaurant in the valley, it was time to give it a shot.

Having never been to a Thai beach resort I cannot adequately say what the experience is like. I bring this up however because the music and flashing sign inside the restaurant definitely try to recreate the event. It also is relaxing as you move your head to the music while reviewing the menu.

For $7.50 you get the lunch special: a choice of two entrees with deep fried spring roll and a salad. I learned at Siam Orchid that salad being served at Thai restaurants is something uniquely American. They have added their own flare with peanut dressing. In this case, the peanut dressing had quite a spicy bite. It was really good and went well with the apples in the salad.

My two entrees were the Tom Yum Soup and the Green Curry. The Tom Yum is Thailand's most famous sour and spicy soup with chicken breast and mushrooms mixed with fresh herbs, lemongrass, fresh lime juice and tomato. The Green Curry is hot green curry with coconut milk with chicken, bell peppers, zucchini, and Thai basil. I fell in love with Green Curry at Thai Basil.

Tom Yum Soup

It sure is wonderful to experience the uniqueness between dishes at different Thai restaurants. They often are not following recipes but going on pure knowledge and passion. I love it. Tasty Thai, Siam Orchid and Pawit's Royale sure do have a perfect Tom Yum Soup. The mixture of vinegar and spices leaves you craving it nightly. I fell in love with green curry at Thai Basi and tried Red Curry for the first time at Chanon Thai Cafe. Often I find my car virtually drive itself to a restaurant based on my craving. I have learned to embrace it rather than run & hide.

All of the ingredients in the soup were good but the broth didn't have the kick that I crave. Maybe my spice o' meter is set too high. I still enjoyed it but kept waiting for the WOW factor. The green curry however did have that kick. It was delicious, creamy and spicy. Whoever was first to add bamboo shoots to curry is a genius. The texture and taste of the shoots are perfect. It adds such a unique factor to the dish.