By Jesus Figueroa
Narai Thai serves up visually stunning and delicious Thai style food at a costly price.
Their prices are expensive but the portions could serve two people.
The walls are well-decorated, with few distractions over the red paint. A bar, tables and booths are readily available for dining. The location is perfect for an intimate dinner.
Each table is decorated with a solid white tablecloth, a plate with a folded napkin, a fork, knife, and a few carnations in a small vase. In the evenings they set out tea candles to add to the already romantic atmosphere.
The service is not the highlight of the restaurant. Although it is not bad, it is not the best. The waitresses are quite busy, leaving customers unattended for a considerable amount of time.
To start things off they bring a glass of water as well as take a customer’s drink order. The lemonade cost $1.50 and has a strange stale taste. They offer various alcoholic drinks such as a Thai version of a mojito and sangria.
They also have classic Pad Thai, flat noodles in Thai spices, served with chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp. It’s tangy, sweet and has a mouth-watering aroma. At $7.96, it’s not a bad choice.
Among the authentic Thai cuisine is a freshly made Pad See-iw, rice noodles, choice of meats or tofu, Chinese broccoli, and egg sautéed in a special sauce. The dish is sweet and tangy, priced at $7.95.
For the seafood lover, Snow Crab Fried Rice is a fantastic alternative. A large portion of jasmine rice sautéed with crab meat, cashews, raisins, pineapple, onion, egg, tomatoes, peas and carrots. It cost $8.95, which may be a bit pricey.
A Green Papaya Salad can be ordered mild or spicy. The spicy Green Papaya Salad is served with a vast amount of peppers. The taste is addicting and it is served in a generous portion. At $7.50, this delectable dish is visually attractive, delicious and at a good price.
The restaurant offers few desserts. A common Thai dessert at restaurants is fried bananas. Served visually delicious, lightly browned, small battered portions of banana are decorated with sweet chocolate and lightly powdered with confectioners sugar and a small dish of chocolate. It is visually stunning and at a reasonable price, $3.95.
Everything can be ordered to specific needs, with a no meat or no chicken broth option for vegetarians.
Most portions are large enough for two. Although it is not the cheapest food, it can be shared between two people comfortably.
Located in Downey on 7611 Firestone Blvd., Narai Thai is open Sunday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.