From the moment you walk up to the restaurant you feel as if you’re being whisked away to a special place. The lush topiary that adorns the front of the restaurant as well as the romantic lighting leading up to the restaurant door all adds up to a winning combination. Upon entering you will see the hostess desk where you are greeted and checked in. Please take note of the walls in and around this area as they are lined with various awards that they have garnered throughout the years. This includes 20+ Consecutive Zagat, Several Five Star Diamond as well as numerous other awards. Many of these Awards come with great distinction however the Five-Star Diamond is especially important since they are the first and only Thai Restaurant to receive this award in the world.
After checking in you can’t help but notice the beautiful, large, and spacious fully appointed bar/lounge area that usually has a live performer. Thai Spice has one of the best happy hours around. I always tell people to make sure to plan around the happy hour so that they can take full advantage of the value.
Your host will guide you through what can only be described as a labyrinth of beautifully decorated dining rooms one more interesting than the next. Very reminiscent of a local iconic Polynesian Restaurant. You will also notice that the restaurant is filled with beautiful saltwater tanks that are used as room dividers. Once again, I cannot overstate how beautiful this place really is.
Shortly after we were seated our server introduced himself and offered to take our drink orders. We usually order Thai iced tea as they, in my opinion, serve one of the best Thai teas around. However, on this occasion, we opted for a bottle of Plum Wine which was an excellent choice.
For our appetizers, we ordered the Mee Krob which is light and crispy Thai noodles delicately tossed with chicken, shrimp, and tasty sauce with caramelized garlic & shallots. This is one of our standby favorites. We also had an order of the Coco Shrimp, large shrimp dipped in a Thai tempura batter and rolled in crispy rice noodles served with a Thai honey mustard sauce. Both were without a doubt absolutely delicious.
When it came time for our entrees Doris ordered the Shrimp Pad Thai which was prepared with rice noodles that are sautéed with large shrimp, egg, ground peanuts, scallions, and bean sprouts. I ordered the Bangkok Chicken which is bite-sized boneless chicken breast very lightly dusted with water chestnut flour and quick fried then sautéed in a tasty Thai sauce with onions, peppers, mushrooms and roasted cashew nuts served on a sizzling platter.
We also ordered the Special Fried Rice prepared with chicken, pork, shrimp, calamari, onions, peas, tomato, and egg fried rice. I must warn you ahead of time to be prepared to take food home as the portion and sizes here are quite large. (I must note that on a previous visit, I ordered the Seafood Clay Pot, jumbo wild caught shrimp, fresh diver sea scallops and Maine lobster tail simmered in a clay pot with exotic Thai herbs, garlic, wine, chili sauce, and basil. That had to be one of the best seafood dishes that I have ever had.)
For dessert, we ordered as we always do. It is our favorite, the Cassava Cake which is served warm. When we have it, it seems and feels to me as if this is a delicacy from a foreign land. I had never heard of it. I had never seen it before but after I had it the first time, I can’t help but order it every time we visit. It is a secret recipe, made from Yucca. The service here is always on point and top-notch. The servers are well-versed in all the dishes and make sure that your food is prepared to your desired taste of spiciness. The restaurant as I’ve noted in the past is extremely clean and truly a treat to visit. For over three (3) decades Michael Tatton has proven his restaurant pedigree and made Thai Spice one of if not the best Thai restaurants in the Fort Lauderdale area.
