Mae Phim

I had heard good things about Mae Phim, the inexpensive hole in the wall Thai place near the viaduct downtown, and went recently for lunch.

The restaurant is small but cute, and my dining companion and I ordered tofu Phad Prik King, green beans in chili sauce, and Phad Kee Mao. We ordered it all vegan, with soft tofu.

And therein, I believe, lay a problem. The dishes we ordered were supposed to be, by nature, spicy and chili pepper oriented. The waiter didn't ask for a spice preference, and I forgot to mention it. What arrived was incredibly bland and totally void of nearly any interesting spice or flavor. I think the waiter made a common assumption: A picky vegan who comes into a Thai restaurant and removes all sorts of elements of Thai food (fish sauce, egg, etc), and then special requests their tofu unfried, is probably going to be a big complainer baby who doesn't like spicy or complex tasting food. I understand why that assumption is often made, but it just isn't always true.

Phad prik king before

I had to gather chili sauces from all corners of the restaurant to add some much needed heat and flavor to this dish: Sriracha, chili garlic paste, and my favorite dry roasted chilis in oil.

Phad prik king after, ahhh, much better

Similar story with the Phad Kee Mao.

I really don't feel like I got a fair assessment of this place. I would like to go back and tell the waiter to make my food good and spicy. I would also like to go back with a meat eater and hear what they say about the un-veganized dishes. If you've been there and have an opinion, I'd love to hear it!