It was my daughter's pick for our weekly Saturday lunch and she had decided in advance that we should try a Thai place on the Delmar Loop she liked, so I was excited to go there. I knew there were a number of them, but they all seem to be owned by the same family, as shown on their website. I had visited the Thai Country Cafe last November, but my daughter chose a very nearby alternative, the Thai Gai Yang Cafe on the south side of Delmar instead. For parking we actually parked in the small lot on the north side of Delnar just past the Thai Pizza Company, and walked the short distance to the restaurant.
The Thai Gai Yang Cafe is much more open and brighter than the Thai Country Cafe and has a more casual feel to it. We wanted to have seats with soft cushioning, so we sat on the east side of the restaurant where there were some soft chairs on one side of a table and a bench on the other. That worked fine for us. We sat there for a short period without any menus and we had to ask the hostess for some, since she seemed to forget we were there. Once she gave us the menus she did take drink orders and she was fairly prompt in delivering our beverages.
My daughter suggested the Pad Thai with Chicken for herself, my wife and my son, and that is what they all ordered. My mother-in-law selected the fried rice, and I selected (yellow) Gang Gra Ree Curry with chicken. As we waited we noticed the interesting picture they have hanging over their bar area, which is mirrored with an inlaid picture inside. The decorations there seemed a bit haphazard and somewhat like a random, clearance Asian gift store (I know since my mother once owned one.) But it did keep our interest.
The food all arrived at different times with my curry being the first to emerge. It smelled wonderful and my son, who was sitting next to me seemed intrigued. I let him try a piece of chicken and he thought it was delicious. As I waited for the other food to arrive, this gave me time to mix the curry sauce with the included white rice until I had mixed together a nice smooth, creamy stew. The fried rice arrived next and then the Pad Thai dishes, all of which were pretty generous servings. Since everyone else had the Pad Thai I was able to sample it, and it was very good, with the noodles being cooked just right, and with plenty of flavor and with the chicken cooked well without being overcooked. I thought it was definitely a well made Pad Thai. However, I still much preferred the curry I selected, since it was flavorful, with a bit of spiciness without being overdone. The chicken was again well cooked and flavorful and the quantity of sauce to rice and other ingredients was a good mix to make a very good combination. I thought it was excellent and much preferred it to the Pad Thai. My son also agreed that if we went there again he would have the curry dish instead of the Pad Thai, which was good but not as flavorful. My mother-in-law mentioned that she did not think the fried rice was that good initially, but she did eat about half of it and later admitted it was not too bad.
We ended up taking home three half containers of Pad Thai, and I have already eaten one for lunch and I will eat another tomorrow. I ate all my curry there since it was so good, but I do enjoy the Pad Thai as a reheated lunch. I would put the food quality on par as the food across the street at their sister restaurant, and would only pick one over the other more on atmosphere, where the Gai Yang seems more casual and airy, and the wood paneled Country Cafe being darker and more enclosed. Both Thai restaurants on that section of Delmar have similar menus and excellent food quality. I would definitely go back there and eat at either one of them at any time!
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