Restaurant Review: Chang Thai & Asian Cuisine

So far in Arkansas, Thai food has been a let down for us. In Charlotte, there are so many amazing restaurants, and Little Rock just lacks that diversity. We were trying to decide where to go for dinner the other night. I suggested Indian, Graham suggested Thai. So, using the handy Urban Spoon app on my phone, we stumbled on Chang Thai & Asian Cuisine. I was optimistic after seeing that they had 245 votes, and 96% liked it, so we decided to give it a shot.

You know how they say you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover? Well, you also shouldn't judge a restaurant on it's awful decor. The decor really is hideous. The walls are white, with little "Italian" (you know the ones; a fat guy with a mustache in a chef's outfit) pictures hanging sporadically. One wall has pale pink & lavender flowers stuck all over the wall. So odd... You also pretty much walk into the buffet the second you walk in the door.

We were greeted promptly, but the good service pretty much ended there. Our waitress was absolutely horrible. After taking our drink orders, we didn't have her come to us again for 10 minutes. I finally got her attention and told her we were ready to ordered. I don't know if we ever would have seen her again otherwise. We ordered Tom Yum soup for an appetizer and I wanted to verify that it would be enough for us to share as an appetizer. She had no idea how to answer our question. I clarified that we were ordering it as an appetizer, and we would still be ordering a main dish. She finally decided that it would be enough for us to share. When it eventually came out (approximately 30 seconds before our food... seriously???) it was a huge portion. We both had at least two bowls and there was still a ton leftover when we called it quits. Our drink glasses were empty more than they were full (not a good thing when the food is incredibly spicy). Overall just very bad service. However, an older lady came by to check on us at one point; I'm guessing the owner. She was very sweet & polite.

Egg Rolls: These were fantastic. ($1.95)

Tom Yum Soup: Definitely enough for two (& more) people.

Tom Yum Soup: This was spicy & delicious! ($10.00)

Our food came out at a reasonable time. It was hot and the presentation was nice. The bland decor didn't extend to the plates. Those were quite cute. I ordered the Pad Kee Mao with beef, and Graham ordered the Pad Thai with shrimp. Mine was excellent. His... not so much.

The Pad Kee Mao had a ton of flavor, and great texture. The menu description didn't list any veggies, so I requested broccoli. It came out with strips of red & yellow bell peppers, baby corn, broccoli & onions. I ordered mine at a level 5 (out of 10) and the heat was perfect. This was absolutely delicious and some of the best I've ever had.

Pad Kee Mao with beef; ($8.00)

Pad Kee Mao

The Pad Thai was utterly disappointing. All you could taste were peanuts. After swallowing, you could feel the heat in the sauce, but the peanuts overwhelmed all of the other flavors. I felt bad though. He had a mediocre Thai chicken wrap at Tropical Smoothie Cafe for lunch, and then a mediocre dinner. I was nice though and shared mine with him =)

Pad Thai with Prawns ($11.00)

Pad Thai: Too much peanut.

I'll definitely go back for more (or maybe just order something to go), because my food was excellent. I've read a lot of positive reviews about the service, so I'm hoping this girl was just having an off night. Now if only the decor was more sophisticated...