Best Thai treats in town

Phad Thai Express

Where: 1901 E. Shields, in the Manchester Center food court

Atmosphere: Uh, it’s a food court; dim lighting and fake plants.

Waiting time: 10 to 15 minutes.

Menu and Price: Phad Thai with Tofu-$5.95; Spring Rolls (4-piece)-$4.95; Chicken Satay-$6.95; Seafood Noodles-$5.99; Phad Ko Phoa Chicken-$6.50.

Beverages: Thai Tea-$2.25; Thai Iced Coffee-$2.25.

Dessert: Young Coconut-$2.25.

The Lo-Down: The Phad Thai with Tofu tastes much like the Phad Thai at Million Elephant (sweet, spicy very filling), and is topped with bean sprouts, cilantro, crushed peanuts, lime wedges and threaded through with egg. The spring rolls also taste like Million Elephant, stuffed with rice noodles, shrimp, cabbage, carrot and cilantro, though the peanut sauce that accompanies it is not quite as heavy on the peanut flavor (also not a bad thing).

The Verdict: About the same taste and quality as Million Elephant, with cilantro, instead of mint, used in the Spring Rolls. Also, the Phad Thai boasts more toppings than that of Million Elephant. Delicious and highly recommended.

Thai Kitchen

Atmosphere: Are you kidding? It comes in a box.

Waiting time: Prep. time is 15 minutes, come rain or shine.

Menu and Price: What menu? Cost is $1.69 at CVS Pharmacy (formerly known as Longs). The Thai Kitchen Web site does have a variety of recipes, including carrot and cabbage noodles, basic Thai fried rice, pineapple curry, grapefruit and shrimp salad and eggplant satay. Does this count as a menu?

The Lo-Down: This is the do-it-yourself, cash-deprived student version, and comes in both “Original Phad Thai” and “Thai Peanut.” What you get is the rice noodles and the sauce. The recommended recipe on the back of the box calls for egg, chicken, shrimp, vegetables, or tofu, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts to spruce it up.

The Verdict: Ended up adding one scrambled egg and a quarter cup crushed-with-a-hammer Planters salted peanuts (50 cents per bag at the Kennel Bookstore). The sauce is sweet and mild, not spicy at all, with hints of tamarind and garlic. Pretty good for a box, but recommended for cash-deprived students only.

Million Elephant

Where: 1153 N. Fulton, in the Tower District

Atmosphere: Deep red walls, L-shaped bar, dim lighting.

Waiting time: Take-out—6 minutes
Dining in—20 to 25 minutes

Menu and Price: Phad Thai with Tofu–$9.50; Spring Rolls (4-piece)–$8.25; Satay Chicken–$8.25; Seafood Curry–$11.95; Papaya Salad–$7.95.

Beverages: Thai Tea-$2.50; Thai Iced Coffee-$2.50

Dessert: Fried Banana Ice Cream-$4.25

The Lo-Down: The Phad Thai with Tofu is sweet, spicy and filling, topped with bean sprouts and crushed peanuts. The Spring Rolls are a meal unto itself, filled with rice noodles, shrimp, carrot, cabbage and mint, and is accompanied by a heavy-on-the-peanut peanut sauce (this is not a bad thing).

The Verdict: About the same taste and quality as Phad Thai Express, with the exception of mint, instead of cilantro, in the Spring Rolls. Delicious and highly recommended, though pricier than Phad Thai Express.