Yum Thai Lunch [Pics]

It was mid-November, that means it's time for my yearly trip to the barber shop. I remember reading Hammond's post about Emil's Barber Shop, so I took this morning's appointment with a client in Oak Park as a sign that it was time to check out this shrine to old school barbering. Since I was making the trek all the way to Oak Park, I turned to VI for some VI about where to eat lunch. After going through a list of places that all sounded good, but didn't quite hit the mark for me, we hit upon Yum Thai. I took care of business, visited Emil for a quick shearing, then it was off to taste some Secret Menu suburban food.

Yum Thai was pretty busy at lunchtime. There were only 2 - 3 empty tables whe I arrived and the steady stream of customers kept it that way through my entire meal. The waitress brought the English menu and the lunch specials menu. When I asked her for the translated menu, she said, "I'll check" and dissappeared into the kitchen before returning with the Erik translated menu (Thanks Erik!). That was to be the theme of the day. Nearly every thing I asked for resulted in an "I'll Check". It was quite amusing to me. Of course, I was eating alone and was easily amused.

I started off with the VI recommended Beef Salad with Garlic & Peppers (extra Garlic and peppers please). This was actually a dish off of the English menu, so evidently no checking was required.

Beef Salad with Garlic & Peppers


This dish was pretty good, although it could have used more heat for my taste. The beef itself was cut from what might have been a Tri-tip, nicely charred on the outside and served with fresh garlic and a marinade similar to what you would get with papaya salad. This dish cried out for sticky rice, and after "checking" the waitress brought some out.

As you might know, I am duck's bitch, so I couldn't resist ordering the Spicy Duck Curry (Gaeng Phet Bpet) when I saw it on the secret menu. This resulted in an extended "check" in the kitchen before accepting my order. Maybe they were running low on duck.

Spicy Duck Curry


Although not very spicy, the duck was perfectly cooked and served in a very creamy, evenly balanced coconut flavored red curry. I enjoyed this dish very much. There were tomatoes and lots of crispy veggies along with a generous amount of duck. They used some unusual (for Thai food) veggies such as red and green bell peppers in the curry. Before this, I've only seen bell peppers used this extensively at Elephant Thai. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong about this being unusual.)

One interesting note. I had to wait a long time for my food, which was obviously cooked to order, while almost everyone else in the restaurant got their food very quickly. This is not a complaint, mind you, just an observation about what their business is geared up for at lunch time. I could only assume that the other customers had ordered off the lunch special menu and the food was pre-made in large batches. BTW, the guy at the next table had some excellent looking spring rolls and sesame chicken if you like that sort of thing. He arrived after me and was done and gone before I even got half way throught the beef salad.

Yum Thai
7748 Madison
Forest Park, IL
708-366-8888

Edited to add the address. I can't believe I forgot it the first time.

Nice pictures, Steve. Rob introduced me to the garlic beef, and, boy, it is a winner. Rob, being the genius that he is, actually thought to look at the English menu.

I just wanted to say that Eddy and I have yet to finalize a few details on my translation of the Yum Thai language menu, so you were actually referring to foodfirst's translation. She is the one that deserves your thanks, not me.

In the process of working on my translation, I have managed to stumble across a few treasures. For instance, whereas foodfirst had originally understood a particular dish to most likely contain both fish and beef, I have determined it to actually be a simple fish dish. Specifically, a Sheatfish dish. This would be the chuu chii plaa neua awn. Here, neua awn means "tender meat," or "soft meat," and not "beef" of any sort. The dish is a Sheatfish fillet enrobed in a thick and rich red curry sauce, and it is topped with shredded lime leaves and red bell pepper strips. In another instance, I discovered that a certain curry, which was previously understood to contain some type of shellfish, actually incorporates hawy khom, or Thai snails. This would be the kaeng khua hawy khom. Here, you will find a mild red curry with the aforementioned snails, Accacia leaves, and Thai eggplant.

At present, both of these dishes are near the top of my list of Chicago Area Thai Menu favourites.

I intend to wrap up the translation, very soon. I have had a lot of stuff come up recently, so, yes, I will admit to have taken my eye off the ball. But it is coming!

Regards,
Erik M.

stevez wrote:One interesting note. I had to wait a long time for my food, which was obviously cooked to order, while almost everyone else in the restaurant got their food very quickly. This is not a complaint, mind you, just an observation about what their business is geared up for at lunch time. I could only assume that the other customers had ordered off the lunch special menu and the food was pre-made in large batches.

Duck's Bitch,

You're right. "Secret Menu" dishes are almost by definition not premade and so take more time (which is why I would not go to Yum Thai on Saturday night if I was looking for something more than Pad Thai -- much as I appreciate their rendition). I'm kind of surprised it was so busy as lunch.

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:
Duck's Bitch,

You're right. "Secret Menu" dishes are almost by definition not premade and so take more time (which is why I would not go to Yum Thai on Saturday night if I was looking for something more than Pad Thai -- much as I appreciate their rendition). I'm kind of surprised it was so busy as lunch.

Hammond

I was more surprised at how fast the other food came out of the kitchen than by how long mine took. Even the off the English menu Beef Salad took some time to prepare, but I thought the wait for my food was pretty normal and not excessive.

On the same general subject, I want to note that I have again taken one for the team.

I had mentioned to Erik that in the foggy back alleys of my mind I believed that ten or twelve years ago certain dishes at PS Bangkok, the Wrigleyville standby, were pretty darn good. I also thought that, in retrospect, the fried-to-order noodles and hand-made-by-fetching Thai-girl-while-you-wait dumplig stands at the Sunday buffet were unrecognized (unrecognizable by me then) gems, elevated street food. I was intrigued by the idea that for some ethnic foods, things might have been better before, before the internet and "foodies" and closer to the time of arrival for the bulk of immigrants for a particular group.

All of that might be true, but you can't go back. Not at PS Bangkok at least. My meal (delivery) last night was the worst Thai I've tasted in a very, very long time. The guy who took my order seemed encouraged by my questions, and was happy to make my pad kra praw with minced pork an a lot of heat, "Thai Style" he confirmed. I ordered that and the Thai litmus test for me (the diner coffee and pie or cheeseburger and fries), penang curry -- often different but always within a range, and good, at solid restaurants. And I ordered the charcoal chicken. A self-described PS ringer, a special, that once was great, I remember.

Then the food came. Huge containers, filled to the brim with terrible food, I'm sorry to report. Spicy, as ordered, but one-note, jalapeno spicy. Cumin was the only other (overwhelming) note and it was limited to the penang. The pork was like something from a bad Thai school lunchroom, watery, greasy, and mostly without any flavor. No sugar of any kind, no fish sauce, no salt, nothing sour. The curry was clearly from a powder and stretched way too far with water. The chicken, forget it. Not charcoaled, and also not the first time it had been cooked/heated. Maybe not the second.

It was the Thai meal equivalent of the Spinal Tap album, Shark Sandwich, and deserving of the same pithy review.

But hey, people still love the place, as it gets super-high marks from the big city food/entertainment sites. And lest you think I'm just being snooty, in addition to the Spoons, Thai Avenues, TAC's of the world, you could do better at Thai Pastry, Mr. Thai, Opart, Rosed, Thai Room, Cozy Thai, Thai Taste, Once Upon a Thai, The Bangkok, or even Penny's. This, my friends, was bad food, not just bad Thai food.

I know this was a very limited sample. I'm as guilty as the guy that said "don't bother" with Primanti Bros. in P'Burgh. But there are differences. PS Bangkok is neither one-of-a-kind nor historically very interesting. There are plenty of Thai restaurants in Wrigleyville and nearby, and the stars would have to be aligned in a very unlikely way for you to get this meal from any of them.

Hey,

I can't seem to find it, and Erik's site is down. Does anyone know of a source for his translation of the Yum Thai thai-language menu, other than the restaurant itself?

Thanks!

I'm headed there tonight. Still would love to know what happened to Erik M. and his wonderful menus. I've been poking around here looking for an archived copy - someone else might have luck:

http://web.archive.org/web/20070222175508/www.silapaahaan.com/menus.html

Santander wrote:I'm headed there tonight. Still would love to know what happened to Erik M. and his wonderful menus. I've been poking around here looking for an archived copy - someone else might have luck:

http://web.archive.org/web/20070222175508/www.silapaahaan.com/menus.html

I'll be very interested in hearing about your experiences at Yum Thai. I drove by there earlier today and was reflecting upon the extremely cold response I've received from the staff there in recent visits. When I ran into Erik M earlier this year, he confirmed that he, too, was getting a strangely unfriendly vibe from the folks there. Now, both Erik and I have been there together and separately, and they may tend to associate us and respond to us in the same way, so I'd like to hear about the kind of treatment you get. On my last two visits, food quality was not where it used to be, but that could certainly have turned around by now.

Hammond

Many copies of the translated menu are available at the restaurant.

Enjoy your meal. My last visit was mixed, but mostly positive.

Ed, David and friends -

There was no problem to be found at a Yum dinner tonight. Prompt and pleasant service, what seems to be an expanded menu that integrates many of the Thai menu items, and everything cooked just right. Highlights:

- particularly excellent Thai iced tea, made with a very rich, smoky blend and topped with heavy cream

- Isaan sausage (still off menu), prepared in-house according to the server, with ribbons of pork belly fat, citrus rind, and tiny whole green and red, diabolical dried peppers, served with the traditional peanuts, cucumbers, and cilantro on the side. No slivered ginger in this version that I could detect, and surprisingly mild, tender pork without that gamey bite that sometimes overpowers this sausage.

- papaya salad with lots of garlic and tangy lime and crisp green beans. Right off the appetizers section.

- duck curry, a Post-it special on the main menu, looking just like Steve's from a few years ago. Uncompromising Eastern-style curry with relatively little sweetness (an occasional kick from the pineapple), lots of green beans, skin-on tender duck. Green and red peppers, and a bright yellow tomato, coarsely chopped, with LOTS of thai basil.

Only three tables full at 5:30, but brisk phone / carryout business going. I'll be back to try the jungle curry, intriguing squid items, banana blossom salad, and a pork with peppercorns and garlic that sounds very good. Here is the old translated menu again (no sign of it tonight, but again, many of these items are on the regular menu):

http://www.sptsb.com/Yum%20Thai%20Thai%20Menu.htm

We've ordered Yum about once a month since my last post, and I still think it's the best of the near-West options (including Amarind, Mama Thai, King & I, and many, many others). They deliver all the way from their location W of Desplaines to our place almost at Austin (soon to be at the other end of town near Harlem, if the move goes well in two weeks), always promptly, always with good humor, and everything is universally hot and good. They take particular care with the Isaan sausage preparation, using a very attractive compartment container with little wells of scallion, peanuts, finger chilis, cucumber, and excellent grilled sausage. Even the regular ho-hum Americanized Thai items seem a step up - beef red curry, potstickers redolent of Kaffir lime leaves, pad sieu with tofu with a caramelized cane sugar edge rather than pre-mixed corn syrupy glop. I highly recommend Yum to anyone looking for either delivery or a very quiet night out (have barely seen another soul in the place). Their period of being glum in person seems to be past.

Santander wrote:Their period of being glum in person seems to be past.

Haven't been in a while, but will give it another go because of this. Thanks.

Although it's not the greatest ever, there is a new-ish joint in Brookfield on Ogden Avenue around Maple - (think 17th in relation to 1st avenue, and 25th avenue.) "Fine Thai." I tried it a few nights ago, and found it to be respectable. I liked it well enough to try more things - think I might be burned out on Yum, as I've been doing take out and delivery there forever - still ticks me off about them changing their fried spring roll combination. Back in the day when they had not been opened for too long at all, they used to be filled with thread noodles, and ground meat of some sort with a strong black or white pepper (prolly a combination) flavor. Lo these many years since then, I still crave those things each time I go there. They were THAT good. Anyway, for some other decent Thai if you're in the area, and wanna try something new:

Fine Thai
9305 Ogden Ave Brookfield, IL 60513

Tell you what, I'll grab a little review I posted on a diff forum, and paste it in. Those who are reading about Yum might like to read something about this new place. Again, it's not the best ever, but it was decent:
====================================
Gave Fine Thai a shot last night. Pleasantly surprised.
The spot is tiny, somewhat cramped, but it was what it was. It wasn't stodgy, but kinda bright in a bare bones kinda way, but who cares about decor if food is good? I don't. Anyway, we were hungry when we went, so maybe it tasted better, but I thought it was pretty decent stuff for the price. Prices were pretty standard for area Thai joints (Yum / Benjarong / Amarinds.) All in all, I think for proximity's sake, I think I will stick with this place instead of Yum for my take out Thai needs until they let me down. The stuff we tried last night showed some promise. We had some not so Thai things on the menu to appease the d/c's, but they were pretty good too.
Apps:
Shrimp & Veggie Tempura.
Pretty damn good. Fresh oil was used here. proper temp - not soggy, not too greasy. Other table commented on how good it looked, and as they walked by said they were "definitely getting that next time." - served with a standard thinnish vinegary sweet/sour sauce.

Chive Dumplins.
Pan fried version. Nicely browned and crispy, but a tad on the doughy side for me where the dumpling parts did not touch the pan and get seared. The dumplings themselves were quite tasty, and the doughy consistency is probably not the norm, or would vary. I'd still get these again. They were not BAD. They were just not TAC Quick good. The seared parts were very good, but the cooking technique on the ones we had left some parts of them a little doughier than I liked. Yes, I'm nit-picking, but like I said - I would order them again - they were not bad at all.

Crab Rangoon.
Ah yes. You know what they are. Hold the phone though. They are house made, and pretty good here. Little packets, not stuffed with gobs of cream cheese, but just enough for two bites, and a nice ratio of filling to crunch. These were really, really good. Dining "in" prolly helped them a lot.

Mains:
Red Curry. Better than "good" but not "very good." I think "pretty good" would be accurate. Nicely spicy too. Although, If I had to guess, I would say the chile used was cayenne. It was not a really "popping" heat, but more of a dull, one note afterburn. The flavor of this kinda lacked depth, but was pretty bright. If I had to guess, I would say it was not a Maesri brand paste, but possibly the other popular brand that is usually on the shelf next to the Maesri brand. Maybe even the "Thai Kitchen" brand - but I've never used their red paste, so I can't say for sure. Anyway, this was pretty good stuff, and it packed a nice heat without asking for it to be extra spicy. More chicken than I've ever gotten at Yum too. I would get this again. Note - they are sugar users over here. While I do know that sugar / palm sugar is used in quite a few regional thai savory recipes, I generally do not prefer it. I'm happier in those restaurants that make their savory dishes without added sugar. I kinda have Yum "trained" that way for me now. I will order a coconut milk curry from Fine Thai again, but ask for it to be made without added sugar. For those who may think that coconut milk is sweet on its own, you are incorrect. I use coconut milk all the time, and make coconut milk curry all the time. It is not sweet unless you add sugar to it. Coconut CREAM is sweet, coconut WATER is sweet. Coconut MILK is NOT. I just really think coconut milk curries are a zillion times better without added sugar.

Pad Thai.
Standard. Fine. Good. Not earth-shattering, but serviceable, and not BAD in any way, but, well, it's pad thai.

Shrimp Fried Rice.
A little more Ameri-Chinese than I expected, but it was damn good. I usually think of Thai Fried rice as lighter tasting than the Ameri-Chinese fried rice. This one was kinda in-between if you know what I'm talking about. It was still damn good stuff here. Great flavor, but it kinda suffered from stupid veggie syndrome that the chinese places in Chicago tend to slop out because people will settle for it. While it wasn't my plate, and only got a few spoonfuls of it to try, it looked like it had corn, string beans, peas, and onions as the primary veggie selections. If I were to order this again, I would fortify this with mushrooms, broccoli, maybe some bell pepper, and a big handful of holy basil. This stuff was damn good though. It would be outstanding with some form a creativity in the veggie dept. Oh yeah, this was jumbo shrimp used here, looked like 26-30 counts

Drunken Noodles.
Standard. Nicely spicy, good amount of thai basil. Again, a little bit sweet for me, but the potential is there.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised. Think it has potential if they are open of my tweakings (no sugar, mostly.) Not too far away from me, and will prolly turn into one of my "spots."

I liked it- maybe I'm just burnt out on Yum, but I thought the stuff we tried compared pretty well to Yum.

We gave Yum a relief start for Bodhi this weekend, and were pleased with the results - prices are still cheap and there is a certain pride in the prep work, with finer mince, dice, and shreds of the vegetables and fresh herbs than most other places out West. We had the carrot eggrolls and chicken potstickers off the main menu (both with good homemade sauces), and the following off the Thai menu:

Som tum Thai style - green papaya salad with slivered hot peppers, long beans, palm sugar, mouth-puckering lime, fish sauce, ground peanuts, slivered ginger on the side

Larb kai Thai style - ground fatty chicken with ground toasted rice (aggressively toasted) with lime, mint, ginger, shallot, basil, scallion, fish sauce, red pepper flakes, quite a bit funkier than the other places I order this

Sai krawk Isaan - northern sausage with long peanuts and garnish

Syya rawnghai - "crying Tiger" beef

Everything was excellent except for the beef, which had not been char-grilled; it was simply steamed, unrendered fatty beef with no seasoning. There was a delicious dipping sauce with crushed peanuts and chilis on the side, but which did not compensate for the doughy meat. I would not hesitate recommending anything else but this.

We often order from Yum Thai for delivery. Typically, we order off the secret menu and we always include the Clear mild soup with glass noodles & ground pork, 100-year old egg w/ basil and Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce. These are great dishes and make for a nice meal. Often we may order other selections but these are the staple.

Tonight we decided to go and have an actual meal in the restaurant. So we ordered our usual default. This time we also added the fried grilled duck topped w/ crispy basil. Everything was outstanding and better than how it tastes after delivery. As outstanding meals go, I would recommend this to anyone.

Funny, the new owner of 7 months noticed our order from the back and came to our table to chat. She asked if we usually order this meal for delivery? We told her yes. She went on to say that she had been a regular customer for years and had even work there for years. She recently took over and seems to have a real interest in providing good food. We enjoyed the both the meal and will return more often. Best of all BYOB.

dradeli wrote:We often order from Yum Thai for delivery. Typically, we order off the secret menu and we always include the Clear mild soup with glass noodles & ground pork, 100-year old egg w/ basil and Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce. These are great dishes and make for a nice meal. Often we may order other selections but these are the staple.

Tonight we decided to go and have an actual meal in the restaurant. So we ordered our usual default. This time we also added the fried grilled duck topped w/ crispy basil. Everything was outstanding and better than how it tastes after delivery. As outstanding meals go, I would recommend this to anyone.

Funny, the new owner of 7 months noticed our order from the back and came to our table to chat. She asked if we usually order this meal for delivery? We told her yes. She went on to say that she had been a regular customer for years and had even work there for years. She recently took over and seems to have a real interest in providing good food. We enjoyed the both the meal and will return more often. Best of all BYOB.

I love that duck and the 100-year egg preps, better at the restaurant than delivery as you suggest. I have not tried the clear mild soup, which sounds great, but we get the bamee off the Thai menu, and it is a strong showing either dry or with broth. The "red pork" is stellar.

Our weekly takeout orders consist of the thai style egg rolls, satay, Ameri-Thai sesame chicken (it is great, textures pop even in delivery), Isaan sausage, sour curries (they'll make anything unsweet), bamee, namsod, and larbs. Even the potstickers are better than average, and are accepted by my offspring as a Katy's substitute (not really in the same league, but this approval is noteworthy). I was worried when the phone line started to be staffed by a completely unaccented younger woman, but I then heard her sidebar confidently with the kitchen on Thai menu requests and they've nailed it every time.

Two rather amazing things happened with last night's weekly Yum delivery.

1. a good Isaan sausage is back in stock

2. both of my kids ended up with firefighter's helmets

Ask me about point 2.

So what gives with helmets?

Funny you should ask!

The Yum Thai delivery person, a lovely young woman, rapped loudly at our door. She smiled at our dog, I signed the receipt, she said thank you, and she went back out to her car.

In our kitchen, we unwrapped the feast. My kids traditionally fight over who gets the cucumber salad with the satay, so Yum now sends us an extra. Both were there! It's the simple victories that get us through the week.

I was forming my first bite of lettuce, Isaan, peanut, ginger, and hot pepper when our terrier started to bark again, and there was another knock at the door, shyer this time.

She was back. And she had locked her keys in the running car in front of our house. And her cell phone.

I went outside to check her windows and doors with her, when realization dawned: the car was FULL of orders, probably 7 or 8 separate dinners; we'd obviously been near the first delivered in the dinner rush.

I lent my phone, on which she was able to call the restaurant. I did not understand the Thai conversation but it was clear this hadn't happened before and that there was not really a gameplan for this. She thanked us and apologized profusely, petted the dog, and went outside to await something - what, we were not sure.

Twenty minutes of dinner passed before Yum Thai started to call my cellphone trying to reach her; my phone was still in the other room, and not with her. Another ten and they called our home line. "Is the driver there?" We hadn't heard from her in 30 minutes. No, she was not on the front steps; I thought she had been picked up. "Is the car still there?" Second glance all the way out: yes, all orders still inside. "Did you get your food?" Yes, I laughed, and it's delicious, though now I feel terrible. "That's good."

I was told to keep an eye out for her on the block. No sign. Five more pregnant minutes of sipping Thai iced tea on the front stoop.

Then it appeared: 95 feet of Red Cyclone, Oak Park's finest fire engine with full crew, with the deliveryperson walking alongside as if she'd Leonard Nimoy'd a whale into the harbor.

A few prods of a jimmy and the car was open. The dog bolted up the block while we stared, slack-jawed, at the engine blocking the full intersection and the light steam of pent-up spring rolls and Penang curry escaping the tiny delivery vehicle. My kids jumped and clapped. We chased down the dog.

The captain motioned the kids over and honked the horn. He reached into the cab and pulled out two plastic fire helmets. The kids jumped for joy, hugging him and each other. "This was the best dinner ever, dad!"

The deliveryperson sighed, got in her car, and drove south.

If your mee krob was late last night, I am sorry.

Sort of.

That's a great story, and one that also happened to me (minus the fire helmets) with a delivery from Elephant Thai a couple years ago, down to the phone locked in the car. What is it about Thai restaurant delivery people?

Another "best dinner ever, dad" at Yum last week, and what was most heartwarming was the place PACKED on a Friday night. The server introduced herself as a new arrival to the business and was impressed we ordered Isaan sausage, not knowing they had it.

The menu indicated they "now" (for all I know this could be years old - we order primarily delivery) had khao soi, which we had to do - the choices were seafood or chicken. Since we did the mixed seafood pad thai (excellent), we went chicken, and this big bowl with both soft and crispy noodles was very rich and thick. I might ask if they'll do it sour / "light" next time since we thought it was too sweet, but otherwise very fragrant and perfectly cooked with colorful shredded veg to mix in. Complimentary pot stickers and the overbrimming bowl of sesame chicken with fried noodles are serious crowd pleasers. Why other Thai places can't get something as simple as real char-grilled satay right I will never understand.

so....new chef, management, something? I had some mediocre meals there...going on several years ago now.