Review: Little Thai House (Part 2)

Name: Little Thai House
Address: 2863 Erie Blvd E, Syracuse, NY
Phone: (315) 251-1366
Neighborhood: Salt Springs (Erie Boulevard East)
Website: www.yelp.com/biz/little-thai-house-syracuse
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Thai
Restaurant Hours: Monday-Friday 11:30 AM to 3 PM, 5 PM to 10 PM, Saturday-Sunday 1 PM to 10 PM
Parking: Private Lot
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Take-Out: Yes

Note: For my original review of Little Thai House, click here.

Little Thai House was easy to overlook when searching for Thai food on a Wednesday night. I ended up there on a whim (after not being too impressed on the one and only visit a year ago) and was surprised by the changes upon walking in: new lighting, new paint job, new carpets, new serving dishes, new tables and chairs, with the cozy looking bar area near the front entrance. Everything is tied in together very nicely and an improvement on how it was before. The ambiance is nice and it was both impressive and reassuring because now there's an affordable Thai restaurant in the city with a good dining atmosphere. And that isn't meant as a slight to Erawan, Lemongrass, or Lao Village. They're all good in their own right, but they do have their own highs and lows and it seems like Little Thai House has found a better fitting niche for themselves.

But if Little Thai House is going this route (i.e. maybe not fine-dining, but upper-end Thai), they can do away with the paper menu and paper napkins. I could care less either way about what kind of material I'm reading from or about a piece of folded cloth that spends 90% of the meal on my lap anyway, but I think the real thing in both cases would fit into the new scheme of things a bit better and make it feel less like a take-out spot.

Also changed is a menu that, unless I'm mistaken, seems a bit more organized and concise than it was previously. Menu items include Thai salads, soups, traditional Thai dishes like Pad Thai, Thai Curries, as well as vegetarian and noodle dishes. I made a note of how it was unorganized in my previous visit, so it was nice to see the changes.

The order...

Singha: $3.50
Curry Puffs: $5.95
Sweet and Sour Chicken: $11.95
Ginger Ice Cream: $4
Total cost with tax and tip: $31.43

Pictured below are the Curry Puffs served with Thai cucumber sauce...

For as much rave as I've read about the curry puffs at Lao Village (including my own experience), I thought these were infinitely better. And probably one of the top 5 individual items that I've eaten since starting this blog.

The texture wasn't anything you would expect by looking at them. The interior part of the crust was warm and chewy, while the outside had a deep fried yet flaky, croissant-like crust. It was a great balance of all the ingredients inside (minced chicken, potato, sauteed onion, spices). Flavor-wise, it deceptively tasted like Indian food, but no complaints here. These were amazing. Perfect textures and flavors.

Pictured above is the sweet and sour chicken and a side of rice, with peppers, onions, tomatoes, pineapple, zucchini, and carrots.

I wasn't too impressed by this dish. A bit too much going on for my tastes. The sauce was thin with a good balance and not too overpowering "sour" to "sweet" ratio and the ingredients were cooked very well (with the exception of one piece of chicken that wasn't) but nothing was really coming together for me. The cherry tomatoes seemed a tad out of place and I think I would've preferred the dish if it was just kept simple. Though it all tasted better reheated the next day for lunch at work, I probably would order something else next time.

The meal ended with some excellent ginger ice cream. The concept threw me off at first, but don't knock it til you try it, they say. Simple dessert, but very tasty.

Overall it was a great dining experience (clean, nice atmosphere, very friendly service, good menu, good food). I wasn't 100% sold on my entree, but Little Thai has won me over since my previous visit none the less. I'm going ahead and raising my rating from 2.5 to 4.0 because I'm now a fan.

My rating of Little Thai House: