On a raw, rainy Monday, I met my friend Nichole Peppers for lunch. The beastliness of the day dissolved upon entry. Water cascaded down a small waterfall by the door. Soothing music filled the room. I found myself face to face with a large Buddha serenely seated in the lotus position, a bright orange placed in his lap. Nichole commented, “It doesn’t feel like you’re in a strip mall.”
Sri Thai Cuisine is located on Vancouver Mall Parkway in the same strip mall as Total Wine & More, sandwiched between Mr. Formal and Sushi Factory. The owner, Watsapon Srikasem, was our waiter. He offered us a traditional Thai greeting, the wai, by pressing his hands together and bowing. We ordered fresh rolls with shrimp, pad kee mao (drunken noodles), and tom yum noodle soup. (Tom yum noodle soup isn’t on the lunch menu, but items on the dinner menu can be ordered all day.)
The food arrived quickly. The fresh rolls were fresh — their rice skins tender and pliable. The crisp, bright lettuce, purple cabbage and carrot contrasted with the sweetness and tenderness of the crescents of shrimp tucked inside. The rolls sang when dipped in the creamy peanut sauce on the side.
The thick rice noodles of the pad kee mao were bathed, but not drenched, in a sumptuous mix of soy sauce and oyster sauce spiked with fish sauce and tempered with a bit of palm sugar. These wide, fragrant noodles swirled around charred chunks of red and green pepper, onion and fresh basil leaves.
