Todd D.
Yelp
Alin's Thai Street Food 228 Jimmy Buffett Memorial Hwy (A1A) Satellite Beach, FL 32937
3.5 Stars
I'm not sure if it's bad luck or a proliferation of Thai restaurants in Brevard County, but the random restaurant generator spewed forth yet another and brought me to Alin's Thai Street Food, located in the former Chez Quan beachside location. Chez Quan is vastly overrated and apparently, our barrier island community figured it out. Yay, us! Similarly to the vanquished Chez Quan, the new eatery is likewise serving food of the Far Eastern persuasion.
Alin's is new to the beachside food scene, having been in operation for less than a year. If you haven't heard of them, this is why. I was greeted warmly upon entering by Noy. Noy is the owner, server and chef. I found Noy to be personable and professional. Still battin' a thousand with servers since my return. How long can the streak last? Place your bets! I asked Noy for an order of his Kanom Jeeb, some Tam Kha Gai and one order of Chicken Larb Salad.
Noy hustled off to the kitchen, and I snapped a few pictures of the place before relaxing. Noy was back in no time and as he set the plates on the table, my nose was greeted with joyous smells. After recording the appearance of the food for posterity (see the pictures), I turned my attention to the task at hand and popped a pork and shrimp dumpling (Kanom Jeeb) into my mouth. While I prefer my dumplings a bit crispier, I know that's a personal preference. With Kanom Jeeb, it's all about the insides and the dipping sauce. Everything was cooked adequately, if lacking pizzazz on the palate. The sauce was also tasty and uninspired. In other words, average.
Moving on to the Tam Kha Gai (Coconut chicken soup). While containing the word for its main spice, the galangal, the main flavor here is supposed to be that of coconut. However, in this instance, it was salt. Not only was the soup too salty for my taste, but it was also watery, unlike the creamy consistency one usually finds in a coconut milk-based dish.
This brings me to the last item for review, which, in all honesty, should have been first, as I have always seen it as more of a table shared appetizer. The first thing I noticed was that while this place may possess the moniker of Thai Street Food, the Larb was not traditional. Traditionally, it is served with fresh cabbage leaves to use as edible plates for the Larb. Originating in neighboring Laos, it has long been a staple of Thai households as it is cheap and easy to make. The heart of Larb is toasted rice powder (aka khao khua). If this ain't in there, it ain't Larb yer chowin' on. Noy's Larb saved the rating as we were looking at a solid 3 entering the back stretch. I found it to be full of flavor and the chicken seemed freshly ground. The crunch of the toasted rice powder, mixed with fresh chicken, cilantro, red onions and lime juice, was quite pleasing to the palate.
The Big Boy says, "Nothing spectacular jumps off the menu here and there is better Thai food a hop, skip and a jump away."