Revisiting Bangkok Chef (Nu'uanu)

I've tried the super cheap (i.e., the sketch place on the corner of Alakea and King St with the big $5 sign in the window) and the fancier Thai in Honolulu (Phuket Thai, Keo's) but I always come back to Bangkok Chef. While it's not oh-my-god I'm eating in Thailand authentic, it's good, satisfying, always the same, and very affordable.


Here's some pics from the last time I was there (Nu'uanu location)

Tom yum - nice & sour

Pad see ew

Green chicken curry with sticky rice

thai tea and pandan flavored tapioca

strawberry pannacotta

Bangkok Chef
Multiple locations including Manoa, Nimitz and Nu'uanu
Yelp

A Tale of Three Thais: Opal Thai, Siam Garden & Bangkok Chef

After traveling around Thailand this summer (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Udon Thani) and eating an amazing variety of street food, I'm always looking for good Thai food in Honolulu. Plus it has the option to be [a little] healthier than other takeout, since it is packed with veggies, especially if you avoid the coconut based curries.

1) Opal Thai I'd read great reviews of this one online, plus heard from a friend that they have the best pad thai in Hawaii. I'd definitely recommend the pad thai here ($8 with tofu)! Also tried the green curry with chicken ($8.25) and the roasted chili shrimp ($9). I'd asked for "spicy" but neither was particularly hot. Sticky rice is an extra $1.75

It's kind of difficult to get to, since they're on the North Shore, but definitely worth a stop if you are out there. Be sure to leave lots of time though; we went on the early side, not even much of a line, and it still took 25 minutes to get our order. 2) Bangkok Chef A stand-by for takeout in our house...Bangkok Chef is cheap and satisfying. It wasn't as authentic as I'd remembered it being, but still a decent meal. Chicken larb:

Shrimp & mango salad (heavy on the vermicelli noodles)

Chicken stir fry with basil and bamboo

3) Siam Garden

This was my first time at Siam Garden. It was packed on a week day night, and all of the staff looked like they just arrived in Hawaii from Thailand. It was good, but wasn't something I'd necessarily go back to again.

Clockwise from top: pad thai, sticky rice, green papaya salad, and roasted chili chicken stir fry

Opal Thai
66-460 Kamehameha Hwy
381-8091

Bangkok Chef
2955 E Manoa Rd
988-0212

Siam Garden Cafe
1130 N Nimitz
523-9338

Bangkok Chef

Bangkok Chef
1626 Nuuanu Ave
Honolulu, HI 96817

(808) 585-8839

Yelp Reviews

Bangkok Chef from the outside

Inside, placing our order:

I'd heard all about the great, cheap Thai food served out of a garage in Nuuanu at Bangkok Chef, so naturally it was on my list of places to try out this summer. When we pulled up, I was surprised because it was more of a hole-in-the-wall, completely unrenovated shop, in a tiny strip mall, than an actual garage. But anyway, that's not important. How was the food?

We ordered a green curry and the mango salad. I think the curries/entrees were $5.50 (+ 0.50 for brown rice or sticky rice) and the salad was $7.25.

The salad was overwhelmingly spicy and sour, to such a point that it was almost unpleasant. It came with mango (not green, but not ripe either), carrots, shallots, cilantro and cashews.

The curry was nice (the menu said the green curry is spicy, but this was mild in comparison to the salad) but not spectacular. A rich, coconutty green curry with bamboo (tons!), some eggplant, and a bit of chicken. More chicken would've been nice.

So I guess Bangkok Chef is a good place if you are craving some affordable Thai food, but I'd much rather have a bowl of pho, or a Yummy's plate lunch for basically the same price.