Restaurant Name: Exotic Thai

Location: 3614 State Road 38 E, Lafayette, IN (map it)

Phone: (765) 449-8898

Cuisine: Thai

Review: I used to eat at Exotic Thai quite frequently. Then I ate at Thai Essence and I decided that I never needed to eat at any other Thai restaurant for the rest of my life. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but I am such an overwhelming fan of Thai Essence, I really have stopped dining at other Thai places in town.

(Hey, do you all remember when there were no Thai restaurants in Lafayette? I sure do!)

So yesterday I was running errands right around lunch time and happened to be by the mall. Exotic Thai is located in a little strip across from the mall on 38. When I went in yesterday, I noticed that they’d remodeled since the last time I was there. They now have a sushi bar and have upgraded the place quite nicely.

I was seated immediately. I’ve never actually seen this place busy, but I imagine it gets a decent carry out business.

The menu has also expanded to include tons of Sushi and now even a complete lunch menu. It was almost a little overwhelming. Because I am (often) boring, I went with my normal Pad See Ew with chicken. I really love appetizers but didn’t want to spend much money and from what I remembered the portion sizes were good, so I just went with that.

I was brought my water and soup and salad very soon. The salad is just iceberg lettuce with a tomato and cucumber, and their house dressing. Nothing fancy. The soup was almost like a dressed up egg drop soup. It was hot, but had some kind of flavor I couldn’t quite place. Pretty good though.

When my meal came, I was really disappointed. Instead of the huge plate of noodles to which I’ve become accustomed, I got a smaller portion of noodles with a big side of white rice.

The food was decent, although my standards are pretty high from Thai Essence. The portion was small and did leave me a little hungry afterward. I did see on the menu that you could swap the white rice for fried rice for an additional charge, but they didn’t ask when I ordered so it didn’t occur to me until later. I’d have preferred fried rice.

The service is always good. One of the things I like about Exotic Thai is that they don’t hover. When I dine alone (and I’m the kind of geek who likes to go out to eat alone) I take a book and enjoy a good meal while I’m reading. Other places (I’m looking at you, O’Charley’s) have servers that are constantly in your face, asking you how everything is and if you need more soda, etc. I like to have my drink refilled quietly and only occasional interruptions, especially when I’m reading a book. But hey, that’s just my personal preference.

If you are on the east side, it’s a decent stop but if you are looking for great Thai food, head to the west side for Basil Thai or Thai Essence.

Kid friendly: No children’s menu, but I’ve taken my kids there. If they like rice and noodles they should be okay.

Price Range: Lunch prices are pretty cheap, mine was less than $7 (without a drink). Can get pricey if you add on appetizers and drinks. (Note: There’s a $10 minimum to use your credit or debit card.)

Restaurant Name: Basil Thai

Location: 135 S. Chauncey, West Lafayette, IN 47906 (Map it)
Phone: (765) 743-3330

Cuisine: Thai Food

Basil Thai & Bubble Tea is one of the numerous restaurants at Chauncey Hill. The setting is simple, but the food is very good. It is a small restaurant with tables lining each wall. Finding a seat can be a challenge if you hit right at noon while Purdue is in session. But, again, the food is good. It is Thai food. I have never had a bad experience with Pad Thai, my old standby. And my buddy regularly inhales the Pad-Ga Prow. The price is reasonable – in the $6 to $7 for an entree.

Kid friendly: So-so. A lot depends on whether your kid likes Thai food. There isn’t a lot of room to run, but the setting is casual.

Methods of payment: Cash or credit

Restaurant Name: Thai Essence

Location: 1534 Win Hentschel Blvd., West Lafayette, IN (map it)
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Phone: (765) 269-9380

Hours: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday

Cuisine: Thai

Review: Thai Essence is a new restaurant in West Lafayette, owned by the same people who own Basil Thai in Chauncy Village. This one isn’t so close to campus and is classified as more “upscale” so I was really excited to try it out. I would like to begin by saying it was the best Thai food I’ve ever had in my life. Seriously, stop reading this and go eat there. Now.

What? Why are you still reading this?

Okay, okay, if you must have a review. The restaurant is situated in a nice little strip mall on the west side right off Sagamore Parkway on Win Hershel Blvd. It was classified as “upscale” and I was not disappointed. The restaurant was lovely and exceptionally clean. The tables were neatly arranged and the chairs were comfy and made of leather (or faux leather, I’m really bad at telling the difference.) Unlike other restaurants, this one was bright and cheery, with lots of natural light filtering in the windows. It’s definitely upscale, but not at all pretentious. Very classy.

It wasn’t busy when we arrived, so we were seated immediately and given menus. The menu offered meals that included curry, a large selection of rice meals, and a smaller selection of noodle dishes and even some desserts. My only disappointment was that there were no appetizers on the lunch menu. I am a sucker for appetizers.

I ordered the Pad See Ew with chicken, and my dining companion got the Pad Thai. The food came out quickly and piping hot, clearly freshly made. And if I didn’t make it clear earlier, for those of you who chose to keep reading and not run directly to Thai Essence, is that it was the BEST pad see ew I’ve ever had anywhere. My companion was equally as pleased with his pad thai.

The service was fine. The waiter took our order right away, brought out drink refills when he noticed we were low, but did not hover or make small talk. Quiet, but attentive.

This is definitely a place I will go again. And again.

Update: And I did go again.  And it was even better than the first time.  The dinner menu has an entire page of appetizers.  We ordered the Moo Ping and something else (the name escapes me) that the server described as shrimp in a blanket. Except it wasn’t quite like that; it was AWESOME.  Moo Ping is some kind of pork skewer with sauce.  Very tasty.  All four of us went nuts for our food, it was crazy good and of course, piping hot.  The service was excellent as well – not hovering over us, but always there for anything we needed.  Again, an excellent experience and I really want eat there for every meal.  (And the house Chardonnay was only $4.50 per glass.)

Kid Friendly: Sort of. Although it’s classified as upscale, I wouldn’t feel at all uncomfortable bringing my children here. However, I did not see a children’s menu, so if your kids don’t like rice or noodles, you may want to leave them at home for this one

Methods of Payment: Cash or Credit.

Related Sites: Journal & Courier Article