My Thai is Better Than Yours – Boston

I’ve always wanted a place in Chinatown to call MY own, and since Juice Bar belongs to my friend Jeff, it’s a good thing I discovered MY Thai. MY Thai makes good food just the way I like it (minus the meat but more on that to follow), and MY place in Chinatown is undoubtedly formidable.

My Thai is one of few places where it’s a good thing the chicken wasn’t chicken. Note: this concept does NOT apply at McDonald’s… My Thai serves vegetarian versions of every kind of meat, even shrimp and scallops!, and it tastes a little too much like the real thing for my comfort…the savoriness of the meat-free dishes isn’t lost here, and the rich flavors of the sauces don’t leave even the most legendary bleeding-steak lovers i.e. ME feeling like they’re missing something. As a solemn believer that some things are just not meant to be vegetarian, this place gave me a new belief that MANYmanyMANY things are just not meant to have meat.

The meal started with a HUGE disappointment: the restaurant had run out of the Bird’s Nest.  May be the smartest thing this restaurant ever did. It made my friend Jeff burst into MANLY (repeat, MANLY) tears of anguish, and not that I blame him – have you read the description?!?!

The Red curry with Beef was probably the best thing I had. The curry was thick and sweet, the chewy texture of the beef almost resembled really tender meat, and every bite was intensely curried.

If the Asian Sizzling Platter is good enough for my anaphylatically-allergic-to-peanuts-friend to risk his life, it’s good enough for me! The zucchini and onions were cooked but still crisp, the way veggies should be, and though I despise celery, the celery was miraculously not overpowering. Although everything in this dish had a hint of celery flavor, I could still taste each vegetable, which is really saying something. Besides, there were so many different veggies, who the heck has time to worry about the celery?

It’s a pity the Ginger Fish is buried in the photo… There was (I’m guessing) some sort of seaweed-based strip wrapped around the slices of fish so it looked exactly like the ginger fish my father was so fond of braising every weekend I was home from college. The fake fish even managed to taste fishy!

Overall, my place def knows how to make their fake meat. I was wary at first because the concept of fake meat sounds so gimmicky, but this was anything but. The fake meat tasted better than half the real meat I’ve had in Boston, and the different types of meat have distinct tastes, a brilliant way to overcome the limitations of vegan dishes. (You can only be SO creative with veggies)…The prowess of the sauces is undeniable, and running out of the Bird’s Nest may be the smartest thing this restaurant ever did – I will certainly be back to try it.