Restaurant Review: Chabaa Thai Bistro

Restaurant:

Address: 4371 Main St., Manayunk

Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★

Style: Upscale Thai

Food: Very good

Atmosphere: Lively and exotic—interior feels like a Thai palace

Parking: Street parking is challenging but there are plenty of pay lots

Service: Professional but very accommodating

Price Range: Moderate but will seem expensive compared to other Thai restaurants

Unique Features: Restaurant has two floors and authentic Thai dishes that are a far cry from the rubbery bland dishes served at many lesser Thai restaurants.

I had heard about from a friend of a friend at a birthday BBQ awhile back and had been meaning to head there. We set out for a Friday night dinner and after 20 minutes I managed to find a parking spot in the lot on Levering Street (it required basically stalking people walking with their keys in hand).

Chabaa Thai is a gorgeous restaurant. The dark wood furniture, diaphanous cloths hanging throughout the space and artwork depicting sacred temples and well-lit sculptures add an exotic air. I felt like I was in a Thai palace.

Though it’s a BYO (with corkage fees) we opted for ice water and Thai iced tea in an effort to beat the heat. The Thai iced tea was refreshing and wonderfully sweet.

We began with the fried soft shell crab appetizer with cucumber salad, calamari salad and the grilled beef salad with Thai herbs. The soft shell crabs were expertly fried with no hint of greasiness, crisp and shattering upon impact, the shell revealed succulent and sweet crab meat inside. The cucumber salad was lightly dressed with lime juice, fish sauce and sugar and provided a cool acidic bite.

The calamari salad with shredded cabbage, carrots, mixed greens, fish sauce and chilis was way too aggressively seasoned. The components of the salad were overshadowed by the salt. The calamari was cooked nicely though.

The grilled beef salad was stunning to look at but the Thai chili slices throughout the dish simply added too much heat. There was a slight cooling effect from the mixed greens, peanuts, cucumbers, tomatoes and julienned carrots but the dish was hotter than five-alarm chili and I had my water glass refilled about a half a dozen times as I attempted to eat this dish.

For our entrees the chicken pad thai, razor clams with noodles and beef with sweet basil more than made up for the uneven appetizers. The chicken pad thai is among the best I have EVER tried in my life. Grilled pieces of white breast meat chicken appeared generously throughout the dish. The noodles were perfectly cooked with just enough bite. The peanuts, bean sprouts, egg, carrots and grilled lime wedge added so much flavor to the dish. There was a nice balance of sweet (palm sugar, tamarind paste) and savory (fish sauce) that is the hallmark of great pad thai. The orchid on top was a show stopper.

The razor clams and noodle special was outstanding. Again, the noodles were handled with skill and not overcooked. The razor clams were cooked and seasoned well and the abundant vegetables throughout the dish provided various flavors and textures. This wonderfully savory and satisfying dish was the one that stayed with me even after I left the restaurant.

The beef with sweet basil (pad krapao), bell peppers, onions and chili peppers was not that spicy. There was a good balance between the heat of the chili peppers and the sweetness of the basil, onions and bell peppers. The slightly sweet sauce and tender strips of beef were delicious together. Our side of steamed nutty jasmine rice was an ideal starch for our flavorful entrees.

The service was professional, poised and highly accommodating. It was reminiscent of the service I encountered in Asia. You feel as though everyone is truly concerned with your experience there.

Despite an uneven start our meal ended on a tremendous note. We couldn’t stop talking about how delicious our entrees were. I can’t wait to head back there with a bottle of chilled sauvignon blanc, Riesling or maybe even a Prosecco.

Click here for the Chabaa Thai Bistro website.

Click here for the dinner menu.