Sala Thai

A GuestLife Vancouver
Great Restaurant

The hand-carved teak furnishings, bright fish mobiles and paintings of mythical Thai creatures show Joy Kongsilp’s pride in her award-winning restaurant. When she designed the downtown SalaThai, she wanted her customers to feel like they were stepping into her homeland.

It’s not only the enormous elephant — fashioned out of one piece of teak — that gives diners that impression. Each dish is prepared by expert chefs according to tradition, giving patrons an authentic Thai culinary experience. With a commitment to fresh local vegetables and direct specialty imports like lemongrass, fish sauce and fresh coconut, the restaurant has consistently earned the praise of critics. Kitchen staff are happy to accommodate a range of individual tastes from mild to spicy, and a wide variety of vegetarian dishes are available.

The elegant and spacious Burrard Street restaurant, while relatively new, has been 20 years in the making. The first SalaThai is on Cambie Street, a cosy neighbourhood spot where Joy and her husband Sam began their business in Canada. It was one of the first Thai restaurants in the city, and they had to familiarize their customers with the new flavours. They stayed true to their culinary roots, and through the next two decades their loyal customers kept coming back.

By 2004, Thai food had grown in popularity, and it was time for them to open the 200-seat downtown location less than a block from the bustling activity of Robson Street. The restaurant caters to the business crowd with an excellent value lunch menu, and to mid-afternoon shoppers and early moviegoers with a selection of light dishes available until 5 p.m. Just across the street from the Sutton Place Hotel, SalaThai has entertained several celebrities. (Among its repeat customers are Robin Williams and Pierce Brosnan, who were recently in town to film movies.) Joy is also proud to have served members of the Thai royal family on their visits to Vancouver since 1988.

Confirming her commitment to excellent food and service, the government of Thailand recently named SalaThai one of the top five Thai restaurants outside the country. Vancouver food lovers don’t have to travel far to experience a bit of Thailand; they can have it right here.

Menu Highlights

Appetizers

Krathonh Tong
crispy waffle with chicken, shrimp & corn.

Vegetarian Springrolls

Golden Angel Wings
boneless chicken wings filled with seafood, meat, vegetables & vermicelli noodles.

Gai Hor Bai Toey
tender pieces of chicken marinated in a sweet sauce & wrapped in pandanus leaves.

Tom Yam Goong
hot and sour broth, with prawns, exotic spices, mushrooms, lemongrass & kaffir lime leaves.

Tiger Beef
grilled beef in hot sauce, toasted rice, onions & coriander.

Som Tom
green papaya salad.

Entrées

Green Curry with Chicken,
eggplant, bamboo shoots, sweet basil leaves in coconut milk, with Thai spaghetti.

Gaeng Pa-Nang
roast duck sautéed in thick red curry, coconut cream, ground peanuts & basil leaves.

Pad Gra Paow
chicken with sweet basil leaves, onion & chili.

Tiger Prawns
sautéed with crispy garlic, black peppers, broccoli & carrots.

Pla Rard Prig
pan-fried red snapper or salmon with red curry sauce.

Pad Thai
stir fried rice noodles, shrimp, egg, tofu, bean sprouts & ground peanuts.

Special Creations

Penang tiger prawns and scallops

Mussamon
curried rack of lamb

Desserts

Homemade coconut ice cream

Deep-fried banana & ice cream

Black sticky rice pudding

Tapioca pudding

Sticky rice with mango

Best of the Cellar

White Wines

St. Hubertus Riesling

Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc

Rosemount Chardonnay Reserve

Charton et Trebuchet Poilly Fuisse

Lingenfelder “Bird Series” Riesling

Red Wines

West Bank “Little Straw” Pinot Noir

Wolf Blass Red Label Shiraz-Cabernet

Wyndham Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 444

Casa Lapostolle Merlot

Concha Y Toro Marques Cabernet Sauvignon

Pere Anselme Châteauneuf Du Pape

Unique Sala Thai Cocktails

Bangkok Bounce: coconut rum, melon liqueur, pineapple juice & Sprite

Chang Mai Dream: gin, mango juice, pineapple juice, grapefruit juice & grenadine

Pattaya Sunset: rum, pineapple juice, mango juice, cream of coconut, lemon juice, grenadine & Sprite

Penang Island: gin, blue curacao, mango juice & lime juice

Thailand Paradise: rum, guava juice, passion fruit juice, pineapple juice, orange juice & tonic

pictured: Vi Hok Non-Rung (fried prawns shaped into bird served in a potato nest) and Our Famous Gaeng Pa-nang tiger prawns & scallops

Sala Thai
102-888 Burrard Street,
Vancouver
(604) 683-7999
More Information - Websites, Maps and Directions
3364 Cambie Street,
Vancouver
(604) 875-6999
More Information - Websites, Maps and Directions