It is very rare that I am left speechless by a meal. My exposure to Thai food is very limited. I knew going into Archa Nine that I wouldn’t have a base-level idea of what to expect to say if something was good or bad. I could tell if I enjoyed something but how it compared to the general idea of what a dish should taste like, I would be stumped.
Nevertheless, I was excited to finally try out Archa Nine. The restaurant is modern in design. The space once was occupied by School Restaurant, a sushi restaurant, and perhaps some of their layout stayed in the move. Upon entering there is a decently stocked bar on the right with about five bar seats. To the left was the main dining area with a good mixture of booths and table seating. Having stopped by for lunch by myself, I was seated at one of the tables for two.
The menu was quite extensive. So while I worked on what I wanted to have as my main meal, I ordered myself a Cha Yen, Thai Iced Tea ($3.50), and a Chicken Satay ($7.50).
The Thai Iced Tea was where my mind started becoming stumped, for all the right reasons. On paper, this is a simple drink: tea, sugar, cream, or milk. Taking the first sip I was sold. The tea itself was mild but full of flavor, something that I love. It almost had these subtle notes of a spice that I couldn’t fully make out but lent itself well to the drink. The sugar had to have been some sort of unrefined or raw sugar with a slight molasses taste. Add the cream and ice and you have a wonderful drink. (8.5/10)
My chicken satay quickly arrived soon after. The chicken was tender and grilled well, adding the right amount of char. It was well seasoned with a good balance of savory and sweet from the curry and coconut milk. Served with it was a spicy peanut sauce and a cucumber salad of some sort. The peanut sauce was hard to describe yet very delicious. The sauce was a great balance between the peanut and the spices mixed with it with the peanut surprisingly not being the main star. The cucumbers were fresh and tossed in some sort of brightly flavored liquid which added a nice tang to the mixture. The only downsides in an otherwise great dish were that the cucumbers were quite difficult to use with a fork and I found myself unsure of the relationship to the chicken if I was to eat them separately or together. I also felt like the chicken strips could have been helped by having them on sticks, which I assumed was how this dish is normally prepared. All-in-all a good dish. (7/10)
For my main meal, I ordered the Thai Spicy Noddle Soup ($13.50). When the soup came my mind went from stumped to completely blown away. First, the serving was massive so I would recommend that you come hungry or know that you’ll be having this for dinner as I will. When you order they ask what spice level you would like. I went with their middle rating called “American” Hot and I’m definitely glad I did. The soup came with a mixture of ground chicken, shrimp, and tofu with rice noodles and topped with peanuts, fried garlic, cilantro, and bean sprouts.
The Tom Yum broth has to be one of the most complex and fascinating things that I have ever had in my entire life. A quick search on Wikipedia says that, “the soup is also made with fresh ingredients such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, and crushed red chili peppers.” It was savory, sour, fishy, and perfectly spicy.
The chicken, shrimp, and tofu were nice additions but seemed to be only seasoned by the broth. The bean sprouts added a nice vegetal smell and taste and along with the peanuts provided a nice crunch. It almost felt like I was having two soups when I would take a bite with and without the bean sprouts. The rice noodles were good and held onto the oily broth well without feeling starchy like a flour noodle might. (8/10)
The beauty of food is that it allows us to share our cultures with each other in the most accessible way. I love food and when I am introduced to an entire cuisine that I have little familiarity with that makes me very excited. Archa Nine Thai Kitchen makes me want to explore more of the wonderful Thai dishes out there and with such an interesting menu I know that I will be coming back and widening my horizons even more. I highly recommend you visit Archa Nine Thai Kitchen.