Nine Thai Offers Plenty of Vegan Options

While babysitting in Chatham over the weekend, I couldn't find anything in the house to eat (other than bananas, brown rice cakes, chips and salsa—but those really don't constitute dinner).

The boys were eating a nutritious, but non-vegan dinner that their mom had made before I came over, and I didn't want to make a fuss. What's a girl to do? Order take-out, clearly!

I couldn't find any vegan listings in the Patch directory, and the international restaurants didn't list delivery on their individual listings. Hoping for the best, I gave a few Thai and Japanese places a call. I struck out with the first three, but lucky enough, does deliver. First road block conquered. 

Despite offering delivery, Nine Thai doesn't have a link to its menu on the website. The man who answered the phone was kind enough to email me a copy. Next hurdle conquered.

The menu offers a surprising number of vegan options, from red and green tofu curries (coconut milk is vegan) to vegetarian pad thai (make sure to request it without egg), miso soup, avocado salad and sushi.

The man taking my order knew exactly what I meant when I asked about vegan options and let me know what dishes can be veganized (just about everything in the stir-fried, curry and noodle menu sections). Having eaten a not-so-stellar sandwich for lunch, I was really excited. 

The excitement, though, wore off as I waited for the delivery to arrive. It turns out, the deliveryman went to the wrong house. The food finally arrived nearly two hours later!

Aside from being a bit cold, the pad thai was rather bland. The sauce on the red-curry tofu and vegetables was good, with just a hint of spice, but it completely overpowered the vegetables. It seemed to be more of a soup than an entree, heavy on sauce and light on the rest. Poured over brown rice, the rich meal was definitely the best part. 

The miso soup was the highlight of the meal. It had just the right amount of tofu and wakame, and even the small was a large portion.

If I try Nine Thai again, it won't be at home. I would be curious to see how the experience is at the restaurant, as it has received excellent reviews.