Thai Orchid Restaurant

Contributor

Citysearch

The Scene
This fixture on bustling Burnside is neither hip nor often crowded, but manages a brisk takeout business. The spacious dining room is tastefully decorated with pastel walls, huge faux flower arrangements and lots of light. The service is efficient and carefully takes note of diners' preferences for spice.

The Food
Thai Orchid offers a 95-item menu of Thai classics toned down slightly for American tastes. Exotic dishes can lack the depth and balance of true Thai cuisine. The shredded green papaya salad has a lovely crunch but is atomic-hot with no other flavor; curries like the Khao Soi chicken with noodles have tender meat but are overly sweet. The usual suspects--salad rolls with thick, pillowy wrappers filled with tofu and mint, galangal-rich chicken coconut milk soup and moist pad thai with copious additions of chicken and egg are good, comforting basics.