Street food is a beloved and integral part of Thai culture. In Thailand, street food vendors are on almost every corner, selling a variety of dishes that reflect the country’s diverse culinary influences. One of the most popular types of street food in Thailand is the humble food cart-style snacks found on almost every street and alleyway. The food is often cooked to order, and the vendors are known for their lightning-fast speed and precision.
Seattle is home to a vibrant Thai food scene, but not many restaurants have perfected the art of street food quite like Bai Tong Thai Street Cafe has.
General vibe and Service
The atmosphere is a perfect mix of lively and relaxed, not overly fancy, while not entirely casual. This makes it well-suited for date nights as well as for hanging out with a group of friends. Plus, the staff is friendly and attentive. Our server went out of their way to answer our questions and offered excellent recommendations. They even have robot servers navigating the busy restaurant floor and assisting the staff. We were sitting right across from a family with a toddler, and it was quite amusing to watch the little one’s jaw drop while the robot made its way to our table with our orders.
The Cocktails
We started with the Smoked Old Fashioned, which came with an actual bottle of smoke, and the Boozed Thai Tea. The old-fashioned packed a punch. The Thai tea arrived on a gorgeous-looking plate decked with holiday ornaments. On our server’s recommendation, we also ordered the Tamarind Spiced Sour, an authentic Thai drink made of chile-infused vodka, tamarind puree, and fresh orange juice. All the cocktails were delicious and set our expectations for the food very high!
The Appetizers
We ordered three of the chef’s recommendations, Tom Kha soup, Crispy Mussel Pancake, and Grilled Pork skewers. All of them were good in their own way. Here’s how we feel about each of the three appetizers.
Tom Kha: Coconut milk goodness with soft, chewy mushroom caps. This soup was smooth and slightly sweet but still packed a bite from the fresh, citrusy lemongrass and galangal root. Moreover, it came in an authentic Thai copper bowl, commonly used in Thai kitchens for dishes that need to be kept at a consistent temperature for extended periods.
Crispy Mussel Pancake: Loads of fresh, high-quality mussels stuffed inside a crispy pancake, topped with bean sprouts. We relished the contrast between the soft, meaty mussels and the crunchy fried pancake.
Grilled Pork on skewers: Five skewers stuffed with marinated Pork, grilled to perfection, and served with a bowl of sticky rice. The star of this dish was the aromatic Northeastern Thai style dipping style that elevated the dish tenfold. Therefore, this one is a must-have appetizers in Bai Tong.
Bai Tong’s Main Course
We ordered two holiday-special dishes for our main course and their signature Crab Fried Rice. Here’s what we think about them.
Papaya Salad Platter: Our server told us this dish is a house creation, put together by the chefs, and meant to be shared. It was a giant platter with one of the best-tasting papaya salads we have ever had, accompanied by several delicious items, eggs, fried chicken, sausage, and noodles.
Tom Yum Noodle Hotpot: This is a holiday-special dish, perfect for sharing on a cold winter’s day in Seattle. The soup was just the right amount of tangy, fragrant, and very satisfying. It came with a generous serving of seafood, ground pork, and fish cakes.
Crab Fried Rice: This is easily the best crab-fried rice we have tasted in Seattle! Delicately fragrant and fresh Dungeness crab meat, jasmine rice, topped with eggs and onions, served in a pocket of banana leaf. This dish is glorious and is a must-try!
Dessert
We ended the night on a sweet note with a spectacular dessert called Bua Loy. The dessert is made with balls of rice flour cooked in sweet coconut milk, served in a tender coconut, and wrapped in pandan leaf. We finished it in no time and then enjoyed scooping and devouring the sweet, fresh, and tender coconut meat.
Overall, we can’t recommend this place enough! The chefs here know their stuff which was evident from the perfectly balanced taste in all their dishes. Moreover, little things they do, like the small pandan leaf shaped into a fish, and their authentic style will surely take you back to the streets of Thailand. Visiting Seattle for the first time? Check out these awesome places to eat in Seattle and things you can do in the city absolutely free!
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