Setting out to compare six local pad Thai preparations available in Anchorage, the Thai cuisine knowledge I went in with was nothing more than my personal preferences. When I eat Thai, I’m looking for fresh herbs and spices (like lemongrass, lime, and chili), that accompany comforting, warm, often carb-heavy dishes. I love how Thai food offers umami and sweet at the same time.
Pad Thai seeks to combine four flavors – salty, sour, sweet and umami – all in one. It can be delicious, when done right, but a “pad Thai test committee” of co-workers learned together that successfully balancing all those taste sensations is rare. We also observed a lot of arguing about “right” and “wrong” ways to make pad Thai, both in Anchorage and on the internet.
Basic research told me that the sourness comes from tamarind paste and lime; the umami and saltiness come from shrimp paste, fish sauce and salty peanuts; and the sweetness from palm sugar. Compared to traditional Thai preparations, Americans add vegetables like broccoli or snap peas, swap tomato paste for tamarind — and serve massive portions. Actual experts on Thai cuisine or this dish could list more, I’m sure.
I wouldn’t know what preparations are “right” or “wrong” according to traditional preparation, but I can tell you that while the bones were the same, the six pad Thai dishes we sampled had stark differences.
I can’t claim that the places listed below are the “best” in any of the following categories, but here are some local spots to try based on some of the flavor preferences of the test committee:
If you like a saucy pad Thai, try Pho Lotus. This preparation has a deep rust color and intensely sweet and sour flavor. They add some steamed vegetables, which is apparently not traditional, but is satiating and something I personally enjoy. ($20.75)
If you like lots of egg, check out So Thai. This dish was partially wrapped in an omelette. It had the most prominent fish sauce/umami flavor of the group, and came with a side of chili oil, begging to be dressed up with herbs, added spice and bean sprouts for crunch. ($18).
If you prefer less sweet, Thai Orchid’s dish has some of the sour and fishy flavor without the blanket sweetness of a dish, presumably with more palm sugar. ($17.95)
If you’re after a blank canvas, Siam Cuisine offers a classic, what I’d consider American pad Thai, and doesn’t have the prominent umami that comes from fish sauce. You could dress it up with extra bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, chili oil and lime, or keep it simple. Either way, you’ll leave full of carbs ($19.95) and probably still have some leftovers. ($19.95)
If you’re more into salty than sweet and sour, Mekong Thai Cuisine is your spot. The pad Thai here tasted akin to a curry noodle, totally different from the rest. ($18.95)
If you want one that strikes a balance, the “pad Thai test committee” agreed Lahn pad Thai got the balance right (it is in the name, after all!) with notes of each prominent flavor hitting the tongue: salty, sour, sweet and umami, and at a very reasonable price. ($16.95)
Jenny Weis writes for a variety of Alaska nonprofits and causes in between keeping up on Alaska's doughnut scene, sliding on snow, and gawking at cool plants and rocks along local trails.
