Thai Boat Noodle in Gilbert

[Wilbur]

Thai Boat Noodle.PS is a place that we have heard about while dining at other restaurants around the Valley, but until recently they were not officially a restaurant themselves, just a chef and cook who would appear on a weekend and serve northern Thai / Lao food.

However, they have a firm location now, and if you are in Gilbert and want country-style Thai food, it is a location you should plan to visit on the corner of McQueen (S. Mesa Road's name in Gilbert) and Elliot.

1533 W Elliot Rd #101
Gilbert, AZ 85233

In my mind, food from the Isaan region would be the equivalent of country-style cooking in the US, and generally includes meats cooked on a grill, sharp and hot spices, wider varieties of veggies, and stickier rice than is usual in a lot of the usual Thai restaurants funded by the Thai government here in the States. Furthermore, and this is absolutely true here at Thai Boat Noodle, when they say it will be Thai hot, they mean business - we have at no time said to ourselves, "Boy, I sure wish this dish was hotter!"

<Please note that this location uses purple neon lighting, so forgive me for the odd coloration in the photos below. I don't know how to correct for the otherworldly violet tones in the pictures.>

My personal favorite dish is Larb, and the Pork Larb at TBN is terrific, almost exactly to my taste. The pork flavor comes through, the onions, limes and chilies all smash into your mouth with great flavor. I order extra rice, as the larb is so dense and spicy that I need to dilute it with some carbs.

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The "Boat Noodle Soup" is a dense, umami delight that the girls in the family say tastes sweet, although to me it has a "rich" flavor that comes from the blood ingredients of the soup. This is the dish is a sort of Platonic ideal of "a bowl of noodles".

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You can also order a few of the more usual type of American Thai restaurant dishes, such as Panang Curry, although once again, it is prepared in a way that is different than anything you would expect on the Island of Penang. The chicken is cooked first before it goes in the pot, and the curry is less shrimpy than down south.

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Finally, the Tiew Hang is the dry noodle dish you want to order on your first visit. Dense meatballs, several different chopped up herbs, crushed peanuts, and it can be fiery hot should you so desire.

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The iced coffee is good and a good idea if you are working on the hotter dishes. This is an excellent alternative to the government-funded Thai places. They are perfectly good restaurants, but this is a Thai restaurant cooking up some very different dishes based on their own tastes.

[LaPan]

Sweet. Thanks for that review. I'd been to Thailly's for some of their food before and was always pleased.