I’ve already reviewed Papaya once, so I’ll focus on the parts which are new:

* The crab-puffs were noticably fresh and crunchy, better than many offered in Chinese places.

* The Pad Thai, a dish we don’t typically order, has an interesting tanginess.

The staff is still attentive and surprisingly efficient, and the general performance of the kitchen is quick and surprisingly competent.  There’s a lot of slight presentational aspects which tend to make the experience a bit better than many hole-in-the-wall Thai houses.

The neighbourhood is barren of slightly fancier, and more exotic, restaurants.  They do what they do well.  One would expect more success for them.

Is that fish staring at me? - I’ve only eaten Thai food a few times in my life so it’s hard for me to compare PaPaYa Thai with other Thai restaurants. I have to say, I thought I wouldn’t be able to eat much, because I’m such a conservative eater. But I found myself finishing all that I dished. That may have been because I wanted to focus on anything other than the hundreds of fish staring at me from the huge tanks that lined that back wall. Nevertheless, I did end up enjoying the food. We had service that was at our sides whenever we needed anything. The only negative was the vibe I was getting from the atmosphere. Though the food may have not been sub par, the fish surroundings and decor made the experience feel so. It definitely was unique!

Today Thai was on the lunch menu. We visited the Mesa location on Lindsay and University. Not much has changed since our last visit, except for the number of fish tanks. Upon entering, the whole back wall has about four large 55 gallon+ fish tanks. Although the decor on the inside of the restaurant is unique and filled with trinkets from Thailand, the fish tanks steal all the attention.

To start, we ordered four of  their cheese won ton appetizers. They were light and crispy but lacked a good amount of filling. For our main coarse we had a mix of chicken fried rice, orange chicken, yellow curry chicken and pad thai noodles. Most dishes were appetizing but I preferred the chicken fried rice and the pad thai noodles. Although we all shared the dishes, individually the portions are quite small and the soda I ordered was almost flat.

Although we write about food its hard to avoid the fish tanks at PaPaYa Thai. They are there to add a sense of ambiance, however they are quite dirty and filled with some strange species of fish. Personally I don’t find them appealing. They take away from the food and give off a germ filled presence.

Besides the tanks, the food was good overall. The service is quite friendly and quick. In the future I would probably get some different dishes and stick to water.

First Impressions

We’ve eaten before at the Mesa location, and found it consistently goes the extra mile.  In the last year or so, the franchise has seemingly taken a much higher profile, taking over another restaurant in Mesa, and opening a location in Tempe.

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I have been out to Papaya Thai once before and was relatively pleased, so last week when I heard that we were going there for lunch I was alright with that. I wasn’t particularly excited as I wasn’t completely in the mood for Thai food however I can never turn down a free meal. (more…)

I’ll admit, I was a little nervous to eat at another independent Asian food restaurant after the experience we had at the Oasian Noodle bar, but I surprisingly enjoyed it. (more…)

First Impressions

Papaya Thai recently opened in a corner of the Safeway centre at Lindsay and University, occupying a space that formerly held an unsuccessful diner, and before that, a fish restaurant primarily noteworthy for sometimes having a huge brass lobster in front.

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