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I love afternoon tea, high tea, any kind of tea + dessert type events where you can relax, eat, and hang out with your friends. :) I went to a few tea places while I was in Vietnam in August, so it was fresh on my mind. So me and another blogger friend of mine decided to take action and actually plan one. We were searching for some options of places to go when I came across someone's Instagram post on the tea at Bangkok on Beltline. Now this was already on my radar, but I had for some reason forgotten about it. They only have high tea on Saturdays from 2-4PM and it's by reservation only because they have to prep all the goodies. The date we had planned was a Saturday so this worked out perfectly. And to our luck, the PR company for Bangkok saw my comment to that post and reached out. Yay!
Bangkok on Beltline - Thai High Tea
100 S Central Expy #108
Richardson, TX 75080
(469) 930-9755
http://www.bangkokatbeltline.com/
Price: $35 per person
Most of the group were already food bloggers so now we are being hosted! Woohoo!! All of us got half off the regular price. It was great, since we were initially planning this as just a casual outing with friends. Yay. Thank you so much for hosting us, Bangkok on Beltline and Red iD Agency!!
I had seen pictures, but it was even prettier in person. We arrived on Saturday and the table was decked out with three 3 tiered tea trays FILLED with beautiful and colorful creations. I think it took us a full 30 minutes to get all of our photos taken... haha. Food bloggers, amiright? :P
We then met the owner of the restaurant and he proceeded to explain all the different items and the progression of the tea service.
We started with the Bottom Tier and work our way up. It has all the savory items. It is also paired with a Chinese Green Tea. With unlimited refills. I think I had 4 cups of this. I drink a lot of tea.. haha. Especially when I'm eating sweets too. The tea is light and unsweetened. There are sugar cubes for those who wanted sweetness.
Pad Thai Croissant. What a creative combination! East meets West. I wished the pad thai was warm, but I think that's kind of hard to do since the tea trays have to be prepared before the party arrives. Also... we took forever taking pictures. haha. The pad thai had a sweetness to it which I wouldn't have liked if I was eating it for dinner, but since this is mainly pastries and desserts, it worked well with the buttery croissant.
Chicken Satay Sandwich. This was my favorite. It had really great flavor. Almost a curry flavor in there.
Yellow Curry Puffs (filled with potato). This was also really good. The crust was flaky, not dry. The potato had good flavor. I'm assuming this is a vegetarian friendly item.
Middle Tier:
This one is paired with Chrysanthemums Tea, one of my favorite teas of all time. When I go to dim sum, I ALWAYS have to order this. It's a flower, and you can definitely get the florally fragrance when you sip it. I lost count on how many cups I had of this one. haha.
This tier had most of the Asian influenced desserts.
Black Rice Pudding (with coconut milk, palm seed jelly on top). Reminded me of all those Asian desserts I grew up eating. I enjoyed the rice pudding texture and I love coconut milk. Can't say I've had palm seed jelly before though. Yay for trying new things!
Rice Crackers with Caramel Coconut Sauce. The rice crackers were Asian style... so there's basically no sweetness to it. Just the slight nuttiness from the rice. If you are expecting a rice crispies treat, this ain't it. You can spread some of the caramel sauce over the rice crackers. The sauce itself was quite interesting. It was almost more savory than sweet... reminded me a bit like peanut sauce in Vietnamese/Thai cuisine.
Sticky Rice (with Thai Coconut Custard). I still don't fully know what all is in this. But the sticky rice was inside a layer of pastry or something. I liked this a lot, especially the coconut custard.
Top Tier:
Unsweet Thai Tea was served with this tier. I was curious to try it because I've never had Thai tea without the condensed milk or sugar... I really liked it. It almost tasted sweet on its own without adding sugar. It went really well with this tier. Actually all of the teas were paired really well with their respective tiers. I was quite impressed!
Pistachio and Raspberry Macarons. Beautifully made macarons. The colors were so pretty with the Matcha Tiramisu. The textures of both macarons were both really good. I especially loved the pistachio's flavor.
Green Tea Tiramisu (with red bean). This was the favorite of the group. Not only was it beautiful, it was delicious. The matcha cream had a rich matcha taste. I was surprised to find a layer of red bean in there, which added an interesting texture. Again, this is where the Asian influences play into a typical dessert. Definitely one of the best desserts in the display. I wished I could've taken some home... but it was in a glass so I couldn't.
We also got some of their signature Flower Sesame Cookies. These are light and crispy and really cool looking!
We were all stuffed! Some people couldn't even finish all of the different items. A few of the girls came in and scoffed at the amount of food saying they were still gonna be hungry after. They ate their words. It was a lot. I would recommend eating a very light lunch or none at all before you go to high tea in general. You'd be surprised how much little sandwiches and cakes can fill you up! Plus you're drinking a ton of tea. Well, at least I was. I had to go to the bathroom twice!! haha. I think I drank well over 10 cups total.
We had SO MUCH FUN! It was a super unique experience with the Thai inspired flavors. I've definitely never had a tea experience like this before. For the price point, this is a great value in Dallas for high tea. Most other places I know are at least $50+ a person. I highly recommend you try this. Great for a girls' day out, or a bridal shower. I'd even do this for a birthday party! :)
Thanks again for hosting us!! :)
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Earlier this month I was in Uptown for something in the afternoon. So instead of fighting the rush hour traffic back to Plano, I asked a friend if he wanted to have dinner in the area. He works downtown so it was only a short drive for him. We decided to go check out Crushcraft, neither of us had been. I've been hearing a lot about this place since before it even opened. I think I have some friends that are friends with the owners?
Crushcraft Thai street Eats
2800 Routh St #150
Dallas, TX 75201
(972) 677-7038
www.crushcraftthai.com
Price: $$
I love Thai food, but honestly, most of the places in DFW are all about the same. There are a couple bad ones, but for the most part, they are usually pretty good for my taste. Very rarely do I find one that really stands out to me. My current favorite is Koung Thai in Rockwall. Who knew Rockwall would have a hidden gem! :P And lucky us, it's like 5 minutes from my fiance's house.
Walking into Crushcraft, I already knew their decor was pretty interesting from photos I've seen. It's very casual, and I liked the ribbons/streamers that decorate their main dining area. It's very festive. They have their menu on the wall as you walk in. Then you order at the counter. They take your name, and announce it for you to pick up the order. The drinks are self serve, along with 6 different types of chilis/hot sauces you can take at your heart's content and spice the hell out of your food. Yasss!! Love it. We took a bit of every kind. I love spicy!
They also have a pretty nice patio area if you wanted to sit outside. I attract mosquitoes so I tend to stay in. hehe.
We each ordered an appetizer just to try.
Grilled Mou Tad Pork Fritters $3.75~
3 meatballs on a skewer. You get 2 skewers with an order. I thought that was a good amount for the price. I'm not sure how this is a fritter... It's mostly just a pork meatball. But it's very tender. The flavor is slightly sweet. Dip it in some sriracha or chili sauce and it's pretty good. Meat on skewers, definitely makes me think of street food!
Thai Fried Boiled Eggs $3.95~
These were a bit lackluster. I'm not one to be picky about eggs. I'll pretty much eat them any way. And I ate these too. But it was kinda chewy. I found the "fried" part to be unnecessary. It wasn't crispy or anything so I didn't get the point. The flavoring is ok. I pretty much just mashed them up with my rice. And why give us 5 halves?? Where does the last half go?? I thought that was dumb. Not worth the 4 bucks imo.
#3 Kra-Pao (jasmine rice, ground pork, fried egg, basil, mortar smashed chili, green peppers, onions) $7.99~
This was my entree. I asked them to put bean sprouts in there too. I think that was an extra 50 cent charge. Oh well, I wanted more veggies. It was good! Tons of flavor, maybe a bit too salty towards the end because there was more sauce. But bold flavors are always good in Thai cuisine! The fried egg on top was just sad though. It was so puny. My friend joked that it was the other half of the egg from the boiled egg appetizer. hahaha. Of course I doused everything with different types of chili flakes/sauces. I found the best combo for this was the dry chili flakes and then the chili oil. Mmmm! Spicy! It was a good portion. I finished it all and was very full.
#5 OG Phat Thai (rice noodle, chicken, tofu, tamarind, bean sprouts, garnish, lime wedge, toasted peanuts) $8.99~
I love me a good Pad Thai. This was ok. Pretty standard. I thought it was a tad sweet. Which doesn't bother me, but compared to other places it's a little sweeter than I would prefer. Seemed to have lots of tofu and chicken pieces which is good. I liked sriracha with this one.
It was a good meal, but we both thought the food here was pretty standard. Didn't stand out from the rest of the other standard Thai places in Dallas. Other than the fried boiled egg, I'd eat the other ones again. But I wouldn't drive out of my way to go there. If I'm ever in the area again, sure, I'll go back.
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My family and I had our weekly dinner on Sunday night. I chose to go to Thai 88 in Plano by 99 Ranch. I had a friend tell me it's really good so I thought we'd check it out.
Thai 88 Cafe
141 W Spring Creek Pkwy, Ste 401
Plano, TX 75023
(972) 801-9676
Price: $
The place used to be a yogurt shop... you can tell when you walk in. haha. Pretty creative if you ask me. Bright and clean. A small shop for a restaurant though...a bit crammed. It's owned by a couple. The husband is Chinese and my parents talked to him when we walked in. He was really nice. His wife is Thai and does the cooking.
We ordered a bunch of stuff to share.
Thai Spring Roll (5) $4.25~ Pretty standard.
Tom Yum Soup (with shrimp) Bowl $5.95~ I'm not a big soup person (well, the broth kinds anyways). But everyone said it was really good. Very good flavors.
Green Curry (with vegetables and tofu) $8.95~ This is one of the staple items I have to get when trying a new Thai place. It was awesome. We ordered it spicy (3 out of 1-4 scale). It had good heat and was nice and creamy. And it was so fragrant. Reminded me of my mom's friend's Thai restaurant in Taiwan. Her husband is Thai and it's super authentic. I've yet to have something in Dallas that reminded me of those flavors. This is the first! I will for sure go back for this!!!!!
Pad Thai (with chicken) $7.95~ This is another staple to try. It wasn't as sweet as some other Thai places which is good. My mom and sister don't like pad thai because it's usually really sweet, but they liked this one.
Pad Kee Mow (with beef) $7.95~ Their Pad Kee Mow had a slightly different flavor than most other places. We all liked this one better. Not sweet at all. It was really good. Very authentic.
Ong Choy with Shrimp Paste (sauteed water spinach) $7.50~ I love water spinach. I'll eat it almost any preparation. This was done well.
Som Tum (Papaya salad) $6.95~ The papaya was a bit tough but not bad. My mom said it should've had more acid though. Not sour enough. I've had better at Royal Thai.
So we got there around 6:45PM or so. We were immediately seated and the place was about half full. It took us a while to look over the menu but from the time we ordered to when we got our food was about 45 minutes. Other tables that arrived when we did were finishing up and other tables that were already there, were all gone. We were getting hungry and confused. We didn't want to make a scene but finally my mom said something to the waiters. There were 2 young guys there as waiters and they both seemed a little confused. Nice...but didn't come by to tell us what's wrong with our order or anything. So after we called them over, they said it was coming out shortly, which it did. But turns out the order either got messed up or was never put in or something... The owner was really apologetic and said one guy was first day and the other was only 2nd day on the job. Geez... I can understand them being new, but if you see a table without food for 45 minutes, at least come by and check on them or inform them that it's coming... But whatever. They weren't rude about it so we just brushed it off. Later the owner came and gave us a bunch of Thai Teas on the house for our inconvenience. The teas were pretty good. (Normally $2 a piece...pretty good price!)
We also got some Curry Puffs (4pcs.) $6~ to go. All handmade...and they only sell these on Fri-Sun.
So the service was lacking but hopefully with a bit more experience that'll be fixed. But the food is legit. Very authentic, good portions and reasonable price. I find a lot of Thai places in Dallas are wayy overpriced and they taste the same as everywhere else. I definitely recommend this place. Go check it out. Spread the word and keep them in business! I'll be back in the future. I wanna try some different curries and also their beef noodle soup!
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It's Valentine's Day! Since my bf left for another business trip, I went to dinner with some of my awesome single friends! :P
We decided to go check out Thai-rrific because I've heard great things about it, and also my friend is currently selling his cakes (see The Cakepad ) from there. Plus it's BYOB, which is always good for my friends. haha.
Thai-rrific
3068 Forest Lane #212
Dallas, TX 75234
(972) 241-2412
http://www.thaidallas.com/
Price: $$
It's a fairly small restaurant in a strip mall behind the IMAX theater on Forest and Webb Chapel. It's dimly lit with lots of Thai decor. It was busier than I had expected! Half of our party came super late, but the waitress never gave us any grief about it. If it had been more packed, I'm not so sure then...
We got a few appetizers. Egg Rolls (4 pork egg rolls with sweet sauce) $4~ 
They were fried nicely and the flavors were ok. But the inside was kinda mushy...I couldn't really tell what wat really in it...
Fresh Spring Rolls (2) (lettuce, carrots, green onions, noodles, and choice of protein: tofu) $3~ 
These were really light. I've never had spring rolls with tofu in it. I wished there was some meat for extra texture. But overall it was fine. The peanut sauce was a little runny but the
flavor was good with the spring roll.
I ordered the Pad Thai (thin rice noodles with egg and bean sprouts served with peanuts and green onion, with tofu/veggies) $9~ 
This is one of the staple dishes I have to try at a new Thai place. It came in a cute dish but the portions were quite a bit smaller than most other Thai restaurants. There were lots of veggies and tofu in there which I like. The noodles were a little overcooked so they were too soft. But I really liked the flavors. I got level 4 spicy (from 1-5, 5 being spiciest) and I got a little kick, but it wasn't as spicy as I expected. The tofu wasn't fried like most other restaurants either. I actually really liked it like that. The soft texture of the tofu with the crunch of the veggies. I enjoyed it a lot. I would order it again.
Other people got...
Pad Peawan (sweet & sour with white onion, zucchini, snow pea, carrot, pineapple, with beef; served with Jasmine rice) $9.50~ 
This looked really good. I had a small piece of beef. It was good, I think...I don't really remember. haha. My friend finished it all tho.
Pad Kee Mow (thick rice noodles with red/green bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, basil, with chicken) $9~ 
Pad See Ewe (thick rice noodles with egg, broccoli, carrot, snow pea, zucchini, with chicken/beef) $9~ 
The Pad Kee Mow and Pad See Ewe had wider rice noodles but it wasn't as wide as most other places. They all looked pretty good. My friends all said it was good but was similar to most other Thai places.
After dinner, we all got a complimentary Red Velvet Cupcakes (provided by The Cakepad) for Valentine's Day. 
That was a nice surprise at the end of the meal. The cupcake was very similar to his red velvet cake. The cream cheese wasn't too sweet which was good. The cake could be a little more moist though.
**Note: There's no corking fee for BYOB, but if you use their wine glasses, it's $1 charge per glass.**
The waitress was good and the food was good. But for the price, the portions were a little smaller than most other Thai restaurants. They have a killer lunch deal though, maybe I'll venture back in the future for lunch...
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