From UrbanTulsa.com
Originally published by Urban Tulsa Weekly Thursday, April 14, 2005
©2005 Urban Tulsa Weekly.

Say It Lao
Thai cuisine speaks volumes at Brookside location
by Katharine Kelly

This cozy little place in Brookside is home to a variety of very good Asian selections. I dined here recently–a table for one–which actually was conducive to my interest of exploring the tastes of Thai food.

I begin first with a pot of hot green tea. (It is important to note that bar selections are limited–only domestic and imported beers–no spirits or wine are served.) This was fine for me on this occasion. Sipping this healthy tea, I reviewed the appetizers, and decided upon my server’s recommendation, the Chicken Satay ($6).

Pronounced “saute,” this starter is two thinly sliced chicken pieces marinated in coconut milk and curry, then grilled. This came with a peanut sauce and small cucumber salad. I found the chicken a little difficult to slide off the wooden skewer even though the chicken was tender. Dipping this grilled chicken in the thick and slightly sweet peanut sauce was a good combo with the curry flavor. The marinated cucumber and carrot salad was light and refreshing–a particularly nice balance with the heavy peanut sauce. The presentation was appropriate–in a white, Asian-styled, square dish.

My second selection was a little more difficult to decide upon. Salads (papaya, vermicelli), Soups (Tom Yum–hot and sour, rice, Tom Kah), Noodles Brookside Style, Curry Dishes, Stir-Fried Entrees or Seafood and Fish were my options. I decided on two–one for dinner and one for lunch the next day.

For dinner, I chose the Chili Stir-Fried entree with pork ($9). Chicken, beef, tofu, shrimp, scallop, or a seafood combo of shrimp, scallop and squid were also options to my stir-fry. This dish is described as Thai chili pepper combined with fresh ginger, green beans, onion and baby corn sauteed in chili paste. The server did ask if I liked it hot–I do.

As I soon discovered–this dish is not for the faint of heart: it is hot (tears, clear-the-sinuses type of hot), but with a very good flavor. The sliced pork was plentiful and tender; the ginger taste added a zip to it; the green beans could have been a little more crisp to my liking. This was served with a bowl of white rice.

I did save room for dessert. Again, I asked my server his recommendation of the three options: Fried Banana ($3), Sweet Rice ($4) or coconut, green tea or pineapple ice cream ($4). He recommended a traditional Thai dessert, the sweet rice. Also called “sticky rice,” it came as a short grain purple/black fat rice. This glutinous rice was sweetened with sugar and coconut milk; a few shreds of fresh coconut were scattered about. This was topped with a thin egg custard with crushed peanut pieces over it. This dessert was very rich, filling, and tasty–I highly recommend it.

My “to go” dish was the Drunken Noodle ($8); this dish combines wide noodles sauteed in spicy sauce with scrambled egg, carrots, bell peppers, onions, broccoli and basil and topped with cilantro. I chose tofu over the same choice of options as with my stir fry entree.

Since I couldn’t wait until the next day, I had a few bites when I got home. This was quite flavorful and rich with various flavors blending well. Again, the veggies (and noodles) could have been a little more firm–again, my personal preference. There was plenty of fresh broccoli and onion with this dish.

Many creative dishes are available for lunch and dinner at Brookside Lao Thai. Other Stir-Fried options are Sweet and Sour, Garlic and Black Pepper, Lemon Grass, Cashew, Basil, Bean Sprouts–all with one’s choice of fish, seafood, beef pork or chicken.

Seafood and Fish dishes include Fisherman’s Boat, Angry Combination Seafood, Spicy Ginger Mahi Mahi, Spicy Catfish or Tilapia, Sweet & Sour Red Snapper, Shu Shi Catfish or Red Snapper. All dishes are no more than $15.

Brookside Lao Thai is an intimate narrow little space with small tables–seemingly no more than 10–lining in a single file down the length of the restaurant. Bar seating is available as is “pillow seating” around a short table in a room off the main dining room. Blue drop lights provide just enough light.

It is a great place to discover the rich and intriguing Thai foods.

Brookside Lao Thai
3316 S. Peoria
747-8812

Hours:
Mon.-Thurs. 11am-3pm, 5-10pm
Fri.-Sat. 11am-3pm, 5-11pm
Sun. 11am-9pm

Rating:
Atmosphere ***½
Food ****
Service ****