TL;DR: Maybe it is just another good Thai place? That could be a case to be made right there. What I see is something with a whole lot of potential, and that was only from a phone call and some delivery. That is only boosted by some of the tastiest food that is around town, fresh, spicy, and plentiful in quantity. A definite recommendation is given here.
If anything to represent Thai was able to be summed up well, getting the best of what makes the cuisine tick as a whole, how great it is able to be in the least conspicuous of locations, and just why it has become the favoured take-out option, then possibly the pinnacle of those three aspects will go to Thai Aiyara. A double bonus comes in the case of it being owned and operated by the chefs which ensures the quality is able to match up pretty well. Whether or not the locals were able to score with a decent Thai locale, this place ought to rule the roost - it is that good.
Once and again in the calendar year it was time to get ready for the next event from WWE. On the Network, the program was Extreme Rules which meant one certain thing to me; time to fire up the delivery again, and find a good eat while watching the event. No real train of thought this time around, simply was going by my nose and deciding what could look good. It figures that Thai is one that has not let me down yet (spoilers: that is still the case), and before long the order was getting plugged into the app. Only two things were left to do: the first one was to put on some rice a bit before the delivery man was to arrive, and the second and most important was to play the waiting game.
With the whole delivery aspect, on the UberEats side of things there was not much beyond the driver getting it here quickly and efficiently while everything was still hot. So points to that, they did the job with little delay. The real story is with the actual restaurant itself.
From a lot of experience with getting delivery from multiple platforms, one aspect that can be inferred is the majority of customers usually order it for the day if not right then on the spot. This can be attested to, since ordering some meals several days in advance is a common aspect I do often getting call-ups from the restaurant - sometimes practically immediately. That itself shows attention to detail.
What has also happened with previous endeavours, is that the food has arrived on the day it has was ordered - but instead it was for a few days in advance. It was the case here. If it come to MenuLog or EatNow, the actual restaurant does the delivery; on UberEats and other newer services, a middleman is in charge of bringing the food to the door. That aspect is important with the confusion from the restaurant, one that was easily fixed with a simple phone conversation.
I presume it is a new place, so the man here was possibly learning the ropes a bit. He had prepared the food already on the Friday, but the food was for the Tuesday. This confused him, since no driver came and it is - again - possibly the rarer case orders are done days in advance. Just a bit of discussion and re-arranging the time, and all was good. In no way is this a complaint or critique, since we can all agree it is preferable to the order being forgotten. And to use a further analogy, you don't lose points of an assignment is you submit before the due date.
So as it is clear, the fare being served is Thai. With the menu, it is pretty substantially sized as far as it goes. All the familiar favourites are here in the flesh - the usual curries are here, as are the stir fries, and the noodle dishes. Just choose your choice of meat, and Bob's your uncle. They have the usual round of soups, and salads, plus the range of entrees that is usually expected. An edge is gained with the chef's specials. These are mostly based on seafood, plus a couple of duck ones to boot. Each one of the specials is especially mouth-watering, and this is what possibly make Aiyara just that little bit better.
Because of most of them sounding so good, plus the idea in the back of my head to give a balance of Thai's best for a good analysis, lots of restraint was a necessity. Still, a fair few good items were gotten and it was enough to give this place a good, passing grade.
First off, some starters. From the starters list, some chicken satays and golden bags were both ordered - and these both were tasty, and very hot. Much like a curry puff or a spring roll, the brunt of what can be said about a golden bag is more or less the same each time. They can be a bit on the passe side, and they can also be quite decent. Maybe a small cut above decent is what would be the case here, since for once the filling was apparent without having to read a description. Chicken was certainly used in it, and they made a nice mince mixture that combined water chestnut, onion and prawns that created a light flavour with a strong texture. Wrapped around that was pastry that was pipping hot, and very crispy.
Next after that were the chicken satays. Also a standard, they can do pretty well or they can also be a bit passe. Well, guess how these went. Four fairly substantial sticks came in the pack, and the cut of meat they used was definitely from the thigh, which was tender and well infused with a marinade before grilling. The combination of a nutty satay sauce, and sweet chilli as dippers created a distinct and contrasting flavour base. Also, it got that much better with the meat being easily torn apart.
Among the bigger meals that were gotten, one of the chef's specials included occupies a bizarre place in my mind between starter and main. This was the salt and pepper squid, and it mainly does that due to the amount that was served. Always a good choice, and a classic to behold, since this continues that wonderful streak where it has not been a let down yet. The salt and pepper squid is - yet again - a must from here. The seasoning is heavy in here, in which a pattern of the salt, the pepper, and even a good amount of chopped up chilli, is visible with the naked eye. The batter of the squid was decidedly light, plus the actual meat part was tender and went down the hatch like butter. It was hot, fresh from the fryer, and I could almost imagine how it would be at the actual restaurant. With some garlic, onion and capsicum to compliment it, the popular bar snack gets an astute balance of mix-ins to truly transform it.
Getting onto some main dishes, it was a double banger this time around. Still going on with the chef's special, even if it were not on there a duck dish would be hard to pass up. The duck curry here is based on a red curry paste, with the meat being roasted beforehand. A good mixture of beans and capsicum put in the fresh crunch that was needed, and both the lychee, and the pineapple put some characteristic sweetness into the sauce that helped contrast it to the hotness that got requested. Inside the meat was nice, maybe a little lacking in proportion to the sauce, and it had no flaws; the fat went down like butter, the flesh was tender, and the flavour was dark and rich. The roti that got requested went perfectly with it, in its buttery goodness. Great combination that still manages to do well.
The last one on the list is the pad kee mao, which got ordered with beef. An effective combination, the base is chilli, egg, and basil, with decorations of bamboo shoots, capsicum and onion. The noodles are thick rice ones, which sticks the sauce to it more readily, and the flavour really put in a kick at times. The cuts of beef that were used were generously sized, and the whole lot mixed together well. Simple in execution, but delicious nonetheless.
With the scale that I have often described with how Thai is going, where Thai Aiyara lands is possibly somewhere in the middle and a few notches to the better side of things. In other words, it is close to always that Thai proves itself to be good and reliable and reliable option. Most of the time, it is pretty clear what options you are going to have, in which each one often does the trick. On the other hand, sometimes there is that odd one that goes above - and sometimes beyond - with how good the food is, exceptional ingredients and even tastier that it usually is. In that case, often they extend the options and have more elaborate and exotic dishes to behold. The word to describe it would be consistent.
As it was said, Thai Aiyara finds itself much at the better end on a number of fronts. Aside from the food being both tasty and good quality, the major aspect that helped elevate it was the generous portions. These kept well for several days ahead, which always makes for a good sign. But it was not only that. All the items that were ordered were very good, with no weakling to pick out among them. This is going to fare quite well, and it already is doing so. There is a good reason for that, everything is managed well here.
Final rating: It clinches onto a 4.5.
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