While its exterior is modern and unassuming, the dining room walls are enveloped in a rich emerald green, setting an intimate and elegant tone. After entering a contemporary wooden door, you descend into a tropical jungle: vibrant, varied and unexpected all at once. Glossy green tiles back the bar and three large golden chandeliers hang above a vintage, wooden banquette to center the space. In the back of the eatery, illuminated by small lamps that provide romantic thin lighting, two tables hidden by green velvet drapes provide the perfect hideaway for a clandestine date.
The menu boasts some of the usual suspects: pad Thai and an assortment of curries, papaya salads and variations of fried rice. Final selections proved difficult, but the server's recommendations helped and libations led the way.
We went with the khwam pen sakl and the Nigori. The first is a vodka cocktail with blood orange, coconut milk, key lime and tart berry that came out tropical and tangy. The latter is an unfiltered sake that went down easily, with a hint of sweetness at the end.
The som dtam plara Laos style, a Thai-style papaya salad, followed. Spicy and refreshing, whole peanuts sat on the sliced papaya, adding a crunch to the dish, as did the crisp, chopped green beans. It was a nice, light start to the evening, as the entrees proved heartier.
The khwam pen sakl cocktail was tropical and tangy, while the Nigori went down easily, with a hint of sweetness at the end.
Natasha Yee
Our server was demure and polite, if a bit slow to bus plates between courses. But the staff smiled as they brought cocktails and served dishes, all of which arrived promptly.
For the main course, the crab fried rice, Chinese broccoli with crispy pork belly and gaeng panang nuer — a panang curry with braised beef — seemed sure bets. The latter proved the best dish of the evening, with tender shredded beef inside a sumptuous coconut curry topped only by thinly sliced lemongrass and served with jasmine rice.
The pork belly was yummy with a slight crunch on the outside, but not entirely tender. It was still enjoyable, and we crowded the Chinese broccoli onto our forks with the accompanying oyster sauce and jasmine rice. The plate returned to the kitchen empty.
Though we were most excited about the crab fried rice, it lacked...crab. Expectations, based on the "jumbo lump crab" described on the menu, did not meet reality. It was a sizable portion though, appropriate for sharing, and some rice lent a crisp texture, no doubt from the bottom of a sizzling pan. It was the spiciest dish of the night. Mostly, we ordered medium spice, one of three choices besides mild and hot. Those with sensitive palettes, beware. Thai spices are not for the faint of heart or tastebud.
The cocktail and sake dwindled as the night wore on, but mango sticky rice for dessert was yet to come. It came out plated beautifully, thin slices of mango next to mushy rice topped with condensed milk, sesame seeds and a beautiful floral garnish. Tropical and subtly sweet, it proved a fitting end to the evening.
Downtown Phoenix could certainly use more Thai food; Lom Wong can't be the only restaurant to fill those tasty shoes. While LeDu is still finding its stride in the competitive space, it's worth a visit for its classic cuisine and to see if you can snag one of those cozy, velvet-draped tables in the back.
LeDu Thai
915 North Fifth Street
