Thursday, December 22, 2016

Thai Thai Cafe - A must-visit in Mooresville!

Hello everyone and Happy Holidays!

I can't apologize enough for how long it's been since I last posted (honestly, until I looked at my blog last week, I didn't realize exactly how long it had been!) - I was recently given about 50 new positions at work (OK, perhaps that's a slight exaggeration, but it definitely feels that way), and, since my last post, Chris also started working with me, so between work and, well, life, I just haven't had a lot of time to try new restaurants lately, much less write about them! However, there is one place here in Mooresville that we have recently discovered and come to LOVE called Thai Thai Cafe

When we moved from Wilmington, we were both bummed that we would be leaving behind so many great restaurants, especially Indochine, the Thai/Vietnamese restaurant that I previously posted about. We had enough trouble finding a decent take-out Chinese restaurant - we didn't possibly think we would find a local Thai joint as well, especially not one we would love as much! Luckily, the goddesses were smiling down on us, because we did. Thai Thai is extremely convenient, quick, delicious and reasonably priced - what more could you ask for? I'm going to share with you our recent lunch order, and I guarantee that, by the time you finish reading, you will be ready for some Thai food as well!

The first thing I love about Thai Thai is that they have a drive-through window located on the right side of their building, that's only for pick-up; you have to call in advance (all walk-ins must go inside), and the food is usually ready in about 15 minutes. This is perfect for me because they are located about 10 minutes from my office, so, after I call, I finish what I'm currently working on, and by the time I get there, my food is always ready. Convenience on my lunch hour is a HUGE bonus (but it's also why we've ordered food from them twice a week for the last two months!).

Today I decided to get one of my usual appetizers, and also something different.




The shrimp blankets were the first appetizer I tried, and now I always order them. Every. Single. Time. They are so simple but so, SO good. The shrimp are marinated and then stuffed in a crispy fried wrapper with vermicelli (thin rice noodles), cabbage and carrots, and the "blankets" are served with a sweet and sour sauce with peanuts. The shrimp are always perfectly cooked (not too chewy, yet not overdone, either), and the wonton skins (I presume that's what they use for the wrapper) are also fried to just the right level of crispiness. The sweet and sour sauce is definitely one of the best I've ever had - I have to assume that they make it themselves. It has the perfect tang while also remaining sweet enough, yet it doesn't make your whole mouth pucker. Definitely a great way to start the meal!



Since I typically order the same entrees, I wanted to try something different, appetizer-wise, so I chose the fried dumplings. These delicious little morsels might not be pretty, but the flavor was amazing. The filling consisted of ground chicken, carrots, onions, and water chestnuts, and it was the perfect mixture! I really enjoyed the crunch of the chestnuts and the sweetness of the carrots - the overall flavor of the dumplings themselves was a little bland, but the sweet soy dipping sauce that was served with them helped bring out all the subtle flavors of the chicken and veggies. Additionally, these little bundles were lightly fried, just enough so that the skin was crispy, but the filling was still moist and tender. Very enjoyable - will be ordering these again for sure!



Entree-wise, everything that I've tried has been wonderful. One of the noodle dishes I've come to love is the pad see ew with beef, which consists of (fresh) large rice noodles with eggs, broccoli and onions, stir-fried in a sweet soy sauce. (For all the noodle and rice dishes, you can choose your own protein, but I prefer beef in this particular dish - I feel that the sauce complements the beef the most.) These rice noodles are incredible - after years of only eating the vermicelli noodles, Chris and I have recently fallen in love with these wide rice noodles (the first time we tried them was in a package of ramen-type soup from one of the Asian markets in Charlotte). The texture is similar to the Italian papardelle noodles, but these are slightly thinner and therefore more tender. They soak up the sauce perfectly (I have to assume it's because they are so porous) and somehow the chefs at Thai Thai always cook them so they're not overdone. One other awesome thing about the lunch specials here is that they come with a spring roll (not pictured because I always eat them in the first 30 seconds of digging in) and nuac cham, which is a sweet and sour sauce). The spring rolls are also always perfectly cooked, crispy and flavorful, and enhance the experience that much more.



The one entree I always choose is the pineapple fried rice with chicken (again, you can choose whatever protein you like). This is hands down the BEST fried rice I've ever had. The ingredients are the usual that you'd see in a fried rice dish - eggs, peas, carrots and onions, but with the addition of the pineapple and cashews, it brings this dish to a whole new level. The sweetness of the pineapple meshes with the umami flavor of the rice, and the crunch of the cashew nuts makes it more fun to eat, in a way. Speaking of umami, I don't know what spices or sauces they use in their fried rice, but it is seriously unlike any other I've ever had - there is something about it that makes me crave it all the time (again why we've ordered from them at least 10 times in the past month and a half!). Also, in case you can't tell, the amount of rice they give you is just unreal. Between the two entrees and appetizers, Chris and I can both eat off of one order at least twice, which is awesome. 

Overall Thai Thai is the perfect place to go when you're craving some authentic, delicious, and quick Thai food. The staff is friendly, the food is amazing, and that drive-through window makes picking up your food so much easier, especially as it's getting colder out. I advise all of you to try it!

On another note, as 2016 is coming to a close, I just want to take a moment to thank everyone out there who has visited my blog or my Google plus page this year. It's been one hell of a year, probably the best I've had in a long, long time, and although I didn't have as much time to write as I would have liked, I appreciate every one of you for taking the time to check out my pages! Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and see y'all in 2017!









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