Thai Bu-ree is, to our way of thinking, a restaurant for people who really like to eat and to find different flavors and textures along the way. It has some shortcomings, but the food is often amazing. Tucked back in a suburban strip mall, an increasingly common site for such finds in America today—L.A.is a prime example— it isn’t even visible from the street.
A vibrantly red interior warms things immediately. A strange feel to the plastic table coverings is slightly off-putting, but is quickly forgotten once the menu is open, because it has not only the expected soups, curries and noodles, but some selections we haven’t found before.
And now we must discuss the service. On one visit, we found it quite appropriate. On another, it was as uncoordinated as a newborn colt. We hadn’t opened the menus when we were asked if we were ready to order. A tray of appetizers was set down just out of reach and the server went off to another table, took a credit card, rang things up and returned with the slip, then visited the kitchen before he finally delivered our dishes. Beverage arrival was about as consistent as Amtrak.
When the appetizers came, however, we were more than happy, and stayed in that mood for the remainder of the evening. Of the more traditional items, a bowl of tom yum soup, vegetarian style, was light and flavorful, with tender, light tofu chunks. The serving worked perfectly for one. Lahb (we’ve also seen it spelled larb), the salad of ground meat, green and red onion, on the other hand, was a sharing-size portion, full of flavor from lime juice and cilantro, and as requested, somewhere between medium and hot in its spicing. Som tum, the papaya salad, wasn’t as spicy as requested, but that turned out to be okay, since our non-metalmouth pals had never tried it. Shreds of green papaya are pounded with tomato, shredded green beans, tomato, peanuts and the ubiquitous lime juice, a tasty combination.
New to us were strips of sweet potato deep-fried in a crunchy, panko-like coating, as good as any tempura we’ve had, their thick sweet-sour sauce unnecessary. One tip: let them cool a little, the better to enjoy the caramelized notes of the vegetable. Also new was Thai-style pork ribs marinated in what tasted of black pepper and sugar. The serving is five large rib chunks, and they’re tender and moist, seemingly baked before they’re grilled. The flavor was different from American barbecue or the glazed ribs found in Chinese restaurants, and very, very good. Each rib was well-trimmed and generously cut; and again, this was sharing size, as were the sweet potatoes. The only so-so dish was from the list of daily specials on the table, Thai crab rolls, which were pinky-sized rolls that tasted more of onion than crab, but they were hot and crisp from their deep frying and not at all greasy.
An order of pahd thai, the classic stir-fried noodle dish which holds rice noodles, bean sprouts, egg, green onion, tofu and peanuts, had a generous amount of the requested pork, all sweet and tangy, almost comfort food-ish. Duck curry charmed with plenty of tender, rich duck as well as red and green bell pepper, pineapple and coconut punched up with a little of the licorice-like Thai basil. A dish called oyster sauce brought together straw mushrooms, onion and a healthy dose of garlic with chewy firm tofu in what’s called the "house oyster sauce." The seafood portion of the menu delivered goong pahd ka ree, large, tasty, carefully cooked shrimp in a mussamun (yellow) curry sauce thickened with egg and laden with celery, green bell pepper and green onion. It’s not hot-spicy, but it’s delicious, one of those just-another-bite dishes with both flavor and texture that were superior. And a dish called pla jiaean had catfish fillets, deep-fried in a mild ginger sauce with crunchy fried onion strings and garlic slices cooked until they had caramelized, too. It was outstanding.
Twice the tabletop special card said sticky rice with mango; twice the kitchen had no mangoes. Sigh…. But we did try coconut ice cream with fruit jelly cubes, more for texture than for flavor, which was difficult to isolate. We were too full to venture further on the dessert menu.
Bear with the service. The food is that good.
Thai Bu-ree
13441 Olive Blvd., Chesterfield
314-275-8424
Lunch and Dinner Tues.-Sun.
Credit Cards: All major
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: Yes
Entrees: $7.99-$13.99
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Lived in Thailand for more than two years…for authenticity of delicious Thai food, the food at Thai Bu Ree is the best in St. Louis (and I’ve been to them all). Re: the service…think of it as a truly authentic Thai experience, and be patient!