I figured that Sawatdee was likely a word or place related to Thai, so I looked it up - it is basically a word that can be used as a greeting or a farewell, not unlike namaste, which I think is a bit more ubiquitous to us Americans thanks to the popularity of yoga. I'm sure my Thai friends know a lot more about the origins of the greeting than my 5-minute search on wikipedia, so let's get to the review. This is a blog about food after all, and not one about religious and/or spiritual interpretations of restaurant names and how they relate to the dining experience.
This is the second Thai restaurant we've been to (My Thai being the first), so now I can make a comparison for all you people who think we should be rating places, etc. I definitely enjoyed Sawatdee more than My Thai. I thought the food and the ambiance were both better, although the service at both were about the same - friendly but nothing over-the-top. The inside was well-lit with lots of blues and greens, which happen to be among my favorite colors, so it felt very peaceful and soothing inside. The windows are large and provide a nice view of the street, which is especially convenient for people like Sandya who bolted faster than I have ever seen most people bolt to catch the 40 bus while it was stopped at a red light outside.
Overall, I found the food very flavorful. Each bite evoked a variety of enjoyable tastes and because of the weakass white person that I am, had very little heat to them. Sawatdee is a BYOB, so we again brought beer from Tangier to help further our drink 91 beers in 91 days cause, so no comments on beverages. I do always enjoy Thai tea though, and I think the next time (if there is another one) we visit a Thai restaurant I should get one, although I won't be able to compare it to any drinks from a South Street establishment.
We started with some crunchy spring rolls, which were nothing novel but still tasty.
For the main dish, I ordered massaman curry, which is made with potatoes, carrots, onions and coconut milk. I ordered mine with tofu, because I am a pseudo-vegetarian like that. Actually, I just really enjoy tofu because it can take up just about any flavor - it's the vegetarian's chicken, and chicken happens to be my favorite kind of meat. I have to say though, I much prefer fried tofu to non-fried, and this dish had the non-fried variety. Nevertheless, the curry flavor was delicious - just on the sweet side thanks to the coconut milk but with savory flavors of vegetables and spices. Again, for me, the lack of spiciness is good, and I enjoyed how strong and well-balanced the flavors were in my dish. I would go back if I were craving food from a Thai restaurant, and probably order a Thai iced tea.
And of course, prior to dinner, we started our evening with the Philly Special - PBR and a shot of whiskey, because you know, it's Bob and Barbara's.
Sawatdee
534 South 15th Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 790-1299
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