Review: Papaya Thai spices up east Mesa neighborhood
May 6th, 2008, 7:30 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Jess Harter
East Mesa probably isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you think of good Thai food. Papaya Thai, a two-month-old eatery on the northwest corner of University Drive and Lindsay Road, is trying to change that.
Tucked into a strip mall next to a dollar store and across the street from a trailer park, Papaya’s light blue and cream interior belies its location.
Fourteen purple-tableclothed tables feature floral arrangements, stemmed water glasses and china plates. Three pairs of loveseats separated by short walls make private “booths.” Walls are nicely decorated with elephants and other icons.
Customers tend to be older, not a surprise given the neighborhood, but Top 40 dance hits play on the house speakers.
Vy Ng serves as hostess, seating diners and taking orders in somewhat broken but serviceable English. In the kitchen, her brother Henry and sister Koi whip up dishes representing every region of their home country.
(Pictured at right, clockwise from upper left: Henry Ng, Vy Ng, Koi Mongkokthamakul and their mother, Yen Ng.)
A large bowl of massaman curry ($6.95), one of 10 Thai curries on the menu, is rich and creamy. Coconut milk balances the spicy curry, and onions, peanuts and potatoes provide plenty of texture.
Curries are prepared medium hot. Vy will ask how much heat you want — on a scale of one to five — for other dishes.
I love spicy food, but my choice of “four” is plenty hot for drunken noodles ($6.95), flat noodles stir-fried with mixed vegetables in a homemade chili paste, which is one of nine noodle dishes at Papaya.
Central Thailand is well-represented among soups with tom yam ($6.95), a hot and sour lemongrass soup, and tom kha ($6.95), a coconut soup with chicken.
Among salads, larb ($6.95), a northeast Thai favorite, includes a choice of ground meat marinated in spices with a lime juice dressing and mint garnish.
Rice dishes range from pineapple fried rice ($6.50) and crab fried rice ($8.95) to the more unusual, such as chili pepper fried rice ($6.50) and sweet sausage fried rice ($6.50).
Entrees also vary greatly. Some are quite simple, such as a charbroiled chicken breast served with a side of sweet chili sauce ($7.95). Others are more exotic, such as slices of pumpkin stir-fried with ground meat, vegetables and sweet basil ($7.95).
(Pictured at left: Pumpkin chicken, left, and drunken noodles.)
All dishes I try come in large portions; I’m not able to finish any of them.
If you can find room for dessert, though, Papaya offers some treats, such as sticky rice and mangos ($3.95) or fried bananas with ice cream ($3.95).
With its above-average food and inexpensive prices, Papaya Thai is welcome addition to an area that doesn’t have many notable restaurants. Especially given the recent closure of Mike Thai, the only other Thai restaurant I’m aware of in east Mesa.
PAPAYA THAI
Where: 2706 E. University Drive, Mesa (northwest corner of University and Lindsay Road)
Open: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
Prices: Appetizers $3.95-$4.95, salads $$6.95-$8.95, soups $5.95-$8.95, entrees $6.50-$10.95, desserts $3.50-$3.95
Info: (480) 964-3171
