Thailand In Our Backyard
Last week I caved in and opened a TikTok.
Valley restaurant TikToks started filling my feed. One in particular kept grabbing my eye, Glai Baan.
Describing themselves as a
“Very Thai” kitchen, Glai Baan focuses on street food and snacks commonly found on the streets of Thailand.
Northeastern Thailand to be exact.
Thai STREET FOOD in Arizona?
Intrigued, I called to make reservations for that Saturday (highly recommended) but was told there were no openings.
Nonetheless, I was given a glimpse of hope when told we could still come by as patio seating was available for first come first serve dining.
The host highly recommended we get there early to prevent having to wait long before being seated.
First Impressions
We arrived at 4:15PM, just 15 minutes after opening. We snatched the LAST available parking space. Utter disbelief knowing it had just been 15 min since opening. Yet excitement filled us, THIS HAS TO BE GOOD we said.
Located in a serene Phoenix neighborhood, the restaurant is quite small and cute.
Inside, the quiet outside surroundings turn into a bustling environment. Laughter, plate and glass clinks filled the room.
Greeted with a friendly smile, the host confirmed available seating. He guided us to the patio and boy was I glad we didn’t get indoor reservations; the patio was absolutely enchanting.
Appetizers
Glai Baan calls them “Small Plates”.
Everything on the menu sounded delicious. With the help of our server, we narrowed it down to 3.
Kanom Jeeb
Thailand’s adaptation of Chinese Sui Mai pork dumplings. JUICY, tender dumplings bursting of flavor.
If you love dumplings, you’ll definitely fall in love with Thailand’s version.
This seemed to be a fan favorite. The table next to us requested a second order.
Hoi Mlang Pou
Mussels drowned in a tangy coconut curry. Lemongrass and chili jam found throughout the dish.
As the mussels infuse within the sauce, you get a perfectly balanced curry that goes perfect on top of rice.
Yum Hed Tod
By far one of our favorite dishes of the day; my husband’s favorite.
Crispy deep fried tempura oyster mushrooms bathed in a sour tangy sauce. The fresh herbs mixing and soaking up all the flavors *drools. If you want a dish filled with umami, this is the one.
Entrees
Panang Curry
The richest panang curry we’ve ever had. The tender meat and bold flavors reminded us of a saucier version of Indonesian beef rendang.
Saucier doesn’t mean liquidy. This curry is THICKKK.
Mackerel Fried Rice
The dish that will keep me coming back for more. Garlicy, smoky, unique. Never had I thought to put mackerel in fried rice.
Believe it or not, a “simple” dish like fried rice doesn’t always get executed right.
Glai Baan knows what they are doing with this one. Look closely at the rice, you can appreciate every single grain. This is what fried rice should look like.
Per my husband, he hasn’t had this good of a fried rice since Indonesia.
Suki Haeng
Just as we were done, we started going down a foodie rabbit hole with one of our servers. In which I asked him, “Do you know anywhere in the Valley that serves Suki Haeng?”
I first tried this dish at a restaurant in Seattle and hadn’t been able to find it elsewhere.
Well as it turns out, it was the day’s chef special.
Stir fried glass noodles thrown in a red sauce made up of fermented red bean curd. The sauce is tart and full of umami due to the fermented bean curd.
Final Thoughts
Don’t expect a quick meal; thought and care goes into every dish. Therefore, it will take time to get your dishes.
Enjoy the ambiance, relax, and appreciate Thailand’s street flavors.
I will also say, don’t go expecting street food prices.
This is an “upscale” version of street food and the portions are on the smaller side.
We left the restaurant and for the rest of the night, could still taste the flavors.
All in all, a great place to enjoy good food and special flavors.
Can’t wait to go back and to try out more of their menu.
Check out https://www.glaibaanaz.com for their hours and location.
Highly recommend calling in and making a reservation. We were lucky to have gotten seated as fast as we did. After us, we saw individuals wait around an hour to be seated
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