Author: Brittany_17

Talay Thai Restaurant is located in the Marpole area of South Vancouver. We made reservations for 6:15 on this Sunday evening and the small restaurant was may be one-half full. The 6 of us ordered 5 appetizers, 2 salads and 4 main courses plus a...bowl of rice to share. Appetizers: • Vegetarian spring rolls ($7 for 4) – vermicelli and vegetable filling served with a sweet chili sauce. The spring rolls were hot and crispy. The menu said served with a homemade plum sauce. • Chicken skewers($9 for 4 skewers) – perfectly cooked and served with peanut sauce. Okay appetizer. • Lettuce wrap ($11) – diced bell peppers, celery, onions with beef served with iceberg lettuce. Tasted okay but in my opinion slightly over-priced. There are other protein options such as pork or chicken. • Deep fried calamari ($8) – battered and deep fried rings served with a sweet chili sauce. Nothing spectacular but still okay. • Deep fried tofu ($7) – crispy and hot, served with a sweet chili sauce. Okay. Salads: • Larb ($12) – ground chicken served with lettuce leaves and herbs including cilantro and mint in a dressing. There was some spiciness in the background. The dressing was really bland. • Green papaya salad ($12) – served with lettuce and tomato wedges. Disappointing as the dressing was really bland. Entrees: • Jungle curry ($14.95) – This is a Central Thai curry dish seasoned with ka chai finger root (ginger family), herbs and spices. We ordered the beef option and was expecting curry like a red or green curry with a coconut cream base. The curry was not spicy and tasted okay but I did not really enjoy it. Others in our party enjoyed this dish even to the point of using the sauce over rice and drinking the sauce. I normally love all types of sauces if they’re flavourful but this was not the case. • Pad Thai ($13) served with chicken, tofu, egg and bean sprouts tossed in a tamarind sauce. Very tasty. Probably the best dish of them all. • Fried rice with chicken option ($12.50) - okay • Eggplant and tofu stir fry ($13.50) – tasted okay. Like all other dishes there are other meat options. • Bowl of rice ($2.50) • 2 beers ($11.50) Dessert: • Mango and sticky rice ($6) - with coconut milk. Tasty. Good dessert to share. Total bill before the tip came to $148.10. Ratings breakdown • Price vis-à-vis portion size – average. All the appetizers were good enough for 2 persons to sample. Average pricing overall but some of the dishes like the lettuce wrap and “jungle” curry I thought were slightly over-priced. • Quality and taste – average. Seasonings missing in a few dishes such as the salads. The best dish flavour wise was the pad Thai. • Service – food arrived in a timely manner and didn’t arrive all at once. We did have to ask for water refills. People in our group would probably rate the food higher. For me, the overall dining experience rates an average - 3 out of 5. Notes and tips: • Most dishes have vegetarian options • There is a service charge of 15% for a party of 6 or more • Small restaurant with seating for 30+ persons • 10% take out discount for orders over $25 on dinner and special dishes • See website for additional information • Street parking in the surrounding area but may be limited due to time of day • There is a Chinese restaurant next door • After deciding on Thai cuisine, my spouse did a search on the internet and found this restaurant with high ratings in nearby South Vancouver. The restaurant is about a mile from the Art Laing Bridge.