House of Thai

Steph Secret #41: I am kind of lazy, and I believe in figuring out the most efficient way to use 20% effort to get 80% of the results.

Especially when it comes to making decisions about where to go out or eat, I tend to focus my efforts on seeking 1) Convenience, 2) Somewhere that would please all parties involved, and 3) Advice from trusted sources. In the case of choosing where to have dinner last week, #1 necessitated that the restaurant be somewhere near Nob Hill, #2 ruled out any of the fabulous Indian/Pakistani restaurants in the area because that could have spurned some awkward DYL encounters, and #3 pointed me to Yelp. My weird ESP thing must have kicked in because I was drawn to Lainie L's review of Thai House Express. Based on some of the review's recommendations and our own cravings, we ordered:

- Tom Yum Goong: this traditional Thai soup was most definitely hot (if this was "medium," I think my tongue would have fallen off for "hot") and sour, additionally flavored with lemongrass and galanga. . Thai House Express is quite generous with the prawns and straw mushrooms, which is always a plus.

- Larb Pedd (duck salad): listed on the Specials whiteboard, not on the regular menu. Larb is a meat salad usually made with ground chicken, pork, or beef and seasoned with chilis, onions, cilantro, and a tart dressing usually made of lemon and fish sauce. Larb pedd switches things up with minced roasted duck (including the skin!). Larb is one of my favorite Southeast Asian dishes because it embodies the intense complexity of flavors that can spring from the amalgamation of very simple ingredients. Thai House Express delivered the promise of hot, sour, savory, cool, crunch. The duck was especially delightful as the backdrop because it added an extra layer of complexity with the fat and crisp of the duck skin. In terms of spiciness, we ordered it medium and THE did not insult us by giving us the toned down version of "medium." Yowza!

- Pad Thai: okay, okay. So, pad thai is one of those dishes that foodies scoff at plebians for ordering at Thai restaurants. But it is also one of those things that can serve as a measuring stick across restaurants because it's guaranteed that they will all have it! Not to mention that the menu noted that THE's pad thai was voted the Best of the Bay by the SFGuardian. I normally am very skeptical of these accolades (especially in Boston; never trust "Best of Boston"), but my preconceptions were proven wrong! This was some DAMN good pad thai...the noodles just the right firm texture, the chicken tender and plentiful, the bean sprouts providing a refreshing contrast, the peanuts giving a nice salty crunch, and most importantly - the not-too-sweet sauce completely coating the whole package. This was no wimpy, half-assed pad thai. Amen.

- Fried Roti w/ Coconut Ice Cream: ahh, the Clincher. Sooj O. recounts the experience with this dessert much better than I could. But let me reiterate that we started out with one order and proceeded to devour a second after the obligatory "Oh, I don't know...should we?" Interestingly, the roti's texture was different with each serving (one was much more flaky, while the other was more chewy - indicative of differences in the frying time). However, it was still freakin' good and that coconut ice cream was so rich and creamy that I was completely oblivious to the possible lactarded consequences.

Five stars for the excellent food and the excellent prices. Extra snaps to Thai House Express for the SUPER FAST, friendly service and for being one of the few clean, spacious places in Lower Nob Hill/Tenderloin. If you, too, are a lazy Yelper in search of a place to go, I hope that you used your minimal energy to read this review and trust my judgment enough to get out to Thai House Express!

Great food! Great service! All the food is great. The spring rolls are my favorite in the area.

Very good food here. I love it so much. Best thai restaurant in SF. Friendly servers and restaurant is so clean as well.

The food is good . The service is good .I've been here for couple times now and everytime I miss Asian Food . This is always go to place .

Amazing food and staff! You guys do a great job!
Appreciate you all!
Thank you very muvh

A cozy ambiance, great team working to make you feel like you are at home and the food will be ready soon for the delight of your taste.
A truly experience transporting you to the streets of Thailand.
I really enjoy this place all the time.

And back again.. this time for the Lard Na (Thai wide rice noodles with Thick gravy and Chinese broccoli) with Pork (available with other meats as well).

Another 5 star item from House of Thai! You don't want to get this dish to go though! The gravy is slightly thickened with corn starch and that just needs to be eaten piping hot or the noodles will clump and congeal. What makes it a 5/5? Fresh rice noodles. Just the right mix of soy sauce, bean sauce, and whatever other magic dust they throw in. The right and light gravy consistency. And noodles that start separating as you fork through them. Wow! I could def eat it again tomorrow.

The fish cakes here are good and so is the thai tea! The pad thai is average. It needs more flavor. The tofu should be cooked longer and the chicken is dry. I would want to come back and try other items on the menu. The restaurant is clean even though it's located in not the best area of the city.

Excellent food and service. Delicious padthai even got a free soda for checking in on Yelp A+++

My usual favorite Thai restaurant in the city and we always get tasty and authentic Thai food here and the servers are always attentive and friendly to us

The food ambiance and the service is exceptional. I would highly recommend this location for anyone in the area and planningon coming back. I had the spring rolls for a starter and the chicken yellow curry with a chicken pad see ew flavourful and exquisite.