Bangkok West Thai – Review

I went to Bangkok West Thai for a belated Birthday meal the other Friday with my LA family.  The four of us had a lovely evening – we ate, we drank, we laughed, we recommend, and that’s the end of my review!

We were five minutes late and because of this, the restaurant called to remind us of our reservation.  I don’t like being rushed, however, my mother-in-law suspected that it was because we had requested a “prime” spot.

Once we had “finally” arrived, the valet staff whisked away our car.  Valet parking isn’t compulsory here, but parking in Santa Monica can be a bit of a bear.  The atmosphere was nice, the décor as one would expect for a neighbourhood Thai restaurant.  There was plenty of room to relax and chat without having to raise your voice.

Starters

We ordered two dishes to share – Exotic Thai Egg Rolls and Rote Curry.

The ‘Exotic Thai egg rolls’ were in fact, ‘not-so-exotic’ spring rolls. That said, they were jam packed full of vegetables and I liked the sweet chilli sauce.  The Rote Curry appetiser came with a grilled flat bread and a near-fluorescent yellow curry sauce, which was strangely addictive.

Main Courses

My favourite aspect about this restaurant is the number of outright vegan dishes and ‘meaty’ dishes that you can convert to vegetarian.

My husband and I shared two dishes, the “Signature” Chefs Special Pad Thai and the Yellow Curry with Black Bean Coconut Rice.  We added tofu to both.  The Pad Thai was one of the best I have tasted and came with lots of nuts to sprinkle (a definite thumbs up in my books!).  The Yellow Curry sauce was near-fluorescent and still addictive as it turned out to be exactly the same sauce as the one that accompanied the Rote Curry starter.

Dessert

The restaurant found out it was my birthday and surprised me with coconut ice cream to share.  To top it off, the entire restaurant sang happy birthday to me! In my 28 years I’d never seen or heard a restaurant come together like that before.
Overall, I would describe the food as ‘neighbourhood Thai cuisine’ with Japanese, Chinese and West Indian inspired flavours. The pricing is reasonable and I give Bangkok West Thai a solid 8 out of 10. I can see Bangkok West Thai becoming our “go-to” veggie-friendly Thai restaurant.

Lowlight:  The restaurant’s website is rather basic and could do with a refresh.

Highlight:  Black bean coconut rice.  I ordered it because I am a coconut rice fan but the black bean addition threw me.  By the end of the meal, it was a definite winner.

The Stats

Address: 606 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica 90401
Parking: Library Public Lot Street Parking Valet (evening only)
Monday to Friday Luncheon:  11 am– 3 pm
Daily Dinner 5 pm – 10 pm
Services: Takeaway or dine in both available