When I think about a restaurant, I see a three-tiered pyramid. On the bottom, you have delicious food supporting the whole structure. On top of that is good service — important, but without it, the base would still be there. On the top is decor, a nice touch that completes a perfect picture.
At Andaman Thai Restaurant in Everett, I found the perfect pyramid of food, service and decor.
Now, I know I said the food is the most important part of the pyramid, but I’m going to start with decor. After all, that’s what you notice the moment you walk in the door. Andaman is tucked into a strip mall. So when you walk in the front door, the setting is surprising.
The restaurant is open, attractive and inviting. You’ll only notice this for a moment, though, before you are staring at the fish tanks. Or if you are like my husband you’ll stare at the fake flames, which by some artistry were just fun, not cheesy.
The fish tanks, though, are the highlight of the dining room. If you have kids, the fish will probably be the highlight of the meal. The tropical saltwater fish are a lot of fun to watch, no matter your age.
As a side note, you should visit the restroom even if you don’t need to. Go wash your hands. The sink faucets are really fun. (Yes, I am easily amused, why do you ask?)
As for the middle part of the pyramid, the service was also strong. The staff was friendly, competent and quick. Our server had the impressive trick of showing up to ask, “How is everything?” a moment after we had taken a large bite. That can’t be helped, though; it seems a Murphy’s law of restaurants.
Now let’s get to the important part. The food.
The food was delicious. The menu is large without being overwhelming. After a lot of debating, we settled on fresh salad rolls ($5.95) for a starter. I love fresh rolls and am always happy to see them on a menu. Many Thai restaurants only offer their deep-fried cousins, spring rolls. Don’t worry, though, if you like spring rolls; those are on the menu, too. The salad rolls were delicious with crisp, green, leafy lettuce, tofu and crispy rice sticks. These vanished quickly, after a quick dip into the tasty peanut sauce.
They also offer several other tempting options, including pot stickers ($5.95), calamari ($8.95) and mieng kum ($7.95), which is spinach with a variety of Thai toppings. Or if you’re hungry and can’t decide, try the Ocean Twelve, a sampling of six different appetizers ($13.95).
After the salad rolls, we moved on to the soups. I ordered a bowl of creamy chicken coconut and Jerry went for lemongrass consumme (both $4.95 for a bowl or $9.95 for a hot pot). The coconut soup was fantastic. I will go back to this again the first chance I get. The flavor was rich and intense. The coconut helped mellow out the spiciness perfectly. The soup includes coconut milk, galangal and lime juice. Mushrooms float on the top.
The lemongrass soup was also tasty, but it ranked behind the creamy coconut. It has a clear broth with chicken and mushrooms. Jerry ordered his soup hotter than mine, 3 out of 4. It was plenty hot, but still delicious, and the spice didn’t overpower the flavors. I should warn you, though, that this is the type of spice that doesn’t hit your tongue. It hits your throat. Try a small sip to start, and maybe have some Thai iced tea waiting.
For the main show, Jerry ordered Hell of Fire (chicken volcano) for $12.95. The menu describes it as a grilled and marinated “whole Cornish hen in Thai herbs and spices served flambe style.”
I think Jerry ordered this just because it included the word “fire,” and he was disappointed none of the fire happened at our table. Despite the lack of visible flames, Jerry found the Hell of Fire tasty. The meat is all served on the bones, with some vegetables hiding underneath. The broccoli was a little underdone, but I like mine crunchy, so I didn’t mind.
I ordered the Snohomish Garden with tofu ($9.50). The seasonal mix included broccoli, green beans, snow peas, cabbage, carrots and mushrooms in a simple, slightly sweet sauce. The food was deliciously simple. The sauce didn’t overpower the perfectly cooked vegetables and everything went together well with a side of brown rice.
I should note that my husband, a self-described rice snob, didn’t have a single thing to say about the rice, which is indication it was very good. The rice does cost extra ($1.50 for a generous serving of either brown or white rice).
Many other offerings tempted us, including grilled prawn salad ($12.95); the tom yum noodle ($9.95), a soup with chicken, shrimp, fish, wontons and peanuts; and the eggplant lover ($10.95), with chili sauce over onion, bell peppers, basil and tofu.
The dessert menu is also appealing, including mango with sticky rice ($6.95) and tempura banana with ice cream ($6.95).
We walked out of Andaman totally happy with our meal. This little place is a great find — a strong all-around offering with good food and service all in a pleasant setting.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
