Bann Thai

When the cat's away, the mice will play. That's how I feel when my husband is out of town on business and I have a chance to eat at restaurants he'd rather not. Being the corn-fed, North Dakota born and raised, meat and potatoes guy; venturing out to eat Thai, Indian, Ethiopian or anything remotely ethnic is not his idea of a good time. However, since he's been in Europe for the last month actually expanding his culinary horizons, I hope this changes a bit upon his return to Fort Collins and we're out together finding the ethnic experiences Fort Collins has to offer.

After making dinner plans with a friend, I decided that we should go to Bann Thai. Of all of the requested ethnic reviews, this was top on the list. I've heard good things about the place and it was high time that I finally get there to write about it.

Bann Thai is on College just north of Laurel (and next to Los Tarrascos). Owned by Suda Lapakluchai, a native to Bangkok, Thailand, Bann Thai opened on August 1, 2008 with the help of her two sisters, Maythawee and Nucharin. Working together as a family, they bring the authentic Thai dishes that remind them of home to Fort Collins.

My friend and I were the first people to arrive for dinner service, starting at 5pm. Sitting in a richly decorated small, red dinning room, I was a bit apprehensive noticing that we were the only people there on a Friday night. To me, that was not good news. An empty restaurant is the sure sign of a failing restaurant. However, our timing was only perfect, because as we were eating the placed became packed with people waiting for tables.


We started off with appetizers, getting Grilled Chicken Satay - grilled marinated chicken on a skewer, served with peanut sauce, cucumber salad and toast ($6.79). We also had the Shrimp fresh Rolls - Shrimp, shredded cabbage, carrots, celery, bean sprouts and cilantro wrapped in rice paper and served with spicy Thai peanut sauce ($7.79)

The Grilled Chicken Satay was alright, nothing too wonderful, mostly because the chicken was over-cooked and dry. The peanut sauce was good though and there was a lot of it! However, the flavor and the moisture from the sauced helped save the meat a bit, making it acceptable despite the tough texture of the chicken.


The Shrimp Fresh Rolls were terrific. The vegetables were crisp and clean, adding a very tasty and audible crunch to each bite. The spicy sauce added the right amount of heat and sweetness to compliment the vegetables in the roll. I really loved these and I was so glad my friend added them to our order.


I also ordered a cup of soup, the Tom Kha with Chicken - hot and spicy Thai coconut soup with mushrooms, flavored with galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and lime juice ($3.79).

I had the option of ordering this with the spiciness to my liking - mild, medium or hot. I opted for mild. It was a mistake. The base of the soup was good, creamy, slightly sweet with firm vegetables (not overly cooked, soggy veggies you typically get in soups) but it needed more flavor. A little more punch would have done the trick, so I recommend getting this with more heat to it. In fact, I'd say go straight for hot.


For my entree, I ordered the Pad Thai with chicken - rice noodles stir fried with egg and bean sprouts in Pad Thai sauce, topped with ground peanut, green onion, carrot and cilantro ($9.79).

This was a large dish that was easily two full meals. It was sweet with sticky noodles that had been draped with flavor from the sauce. I really liked the base flavor, but once again, it needed a little more kick. You can ask to have the spice adjusted in any meal and with my experience this night, I would suggest asking that all dishes you order to be a bit on the spicier side.


Dinner at Bann Thai was decent - very friendly and quick service with adequate food. It's worth going back again knowing that everything can be spiced more than what I had that night. If I had just a bit more excitement to my meal, it would have been great, not just decent. Fort Collins also really needs the type of variety that Bann Thai offers. Variety is the spice of life, right?

Now that the cat's back from his adventures in London, Oslo, Frankfurt, Brussels and Hoegaarden, I'll try to convince him to explore the worldly culinary treasures Fort Collins has to offer.


Bann Thai
626 South College Avenue
(970) 797-2707
www.bannthairestaurant.net

Kid-Friendly? Yes, they have a fantastic kids menu that will introduce kids to varied flavors yet also appeal to their picky tendencies. All kids meals are $5.79

Parking: Street parking on College and lot parking next door where Waffle House used to be.

Healthy Options? There are many healthy options, gluten and wheat-free dishes as well as taking precaution for those with nut, wheat and seafood allergies.

Budget-Friendly? I would say it's average. Dinner averages $10-$12 per plate.

Recent Health Inspection: Good