Several Bay Area restaurants call themselves Krungthai, but the one across from Century Theaters on Winchester Boulevard proclaims itself to be the original. Newly remodeled, it is no longer affiliated with the Krungthai less than a mile up the road but is associated with the one in Mountain View—that is, the one on Showers Drive, not Castro Street. If you’re still paying attention, good for you, because Krungthai gives you several reasons to visit.
Thai knick-knacks adorn the chestnut-toned walls, and white tablecloths lend an air of elegance. The lunch crowd can be noisy. Go early to avoid the noon rush.
The menu informs you that pineapple fried rice is a house specialty ($9.59). Unlike many of its Thai brethren, Krungthai does not present this dish in half a shelled pineapple—a plus for those of us who wonder if the pineapple shell has been recycled from the last table who ordered it. A simple oval platter is all that is needed to showcase this dish’s many textures. To say this is a rice plate is only half the story. Chunks of pineapple, bits of chicken, prawns, cashew nuts, peas, raisins, carrots, and corn make this dish a complete meal. The thinly sliced chicken is somewhat dry, a minor fumble that should not prevent you from ordering it.
Twenty lunch specials are a value, at the odd price of $7.59. Several of them simply ask you to choose the seasoning (chile paste and onions, or ginger, onions, and black cloud-ear mushrooms) and the seasoned (chicken, beef, pork, prawns, or vegetables). BBQ chicken is a hot seller; the marinade gives the chicken an appealing burgundy cast after barbecuing. Again, the chicken was dry, and with its only companions a lump of rice and a spring roll the size of your thumb, there isn’t much to fall back on here. You’ll need to bum some pineapple rice off your dining companion.
If you’ve ordered Panang fish, you’ve made a good choice. Bite-sized portions of cod filet have been fried and then simmered in a smooth Panang curry, sweetened by coconut milk. Strings of basil provide fragrant top notes to this rich stew. Pad Thai is not a lunch special but is available á la carte. If you’ve never tried Pad Thai, Krungthai sets the bar high. Rice noodles are thin and cooked perfectly al dente ($8.59). The tamarind-based sauce is not overly sweet, and all of the traditional add-ins are present: shrimp, tofu, chicken, bean sprouts, egg, peanuts, and a wedge of lime. If you want to measure the skill of the chef, observe her technique with eggs—here, a fast fry in hot oil produces silky threads of scrambled eggs, which adorn the noodles like the right accessory.
For reliably good Thai cuisine, find your way to Krungthai Restaurant—the original, that is.