Mike L.
Yelp
Among the many restaurants I had bookmarked to try while in Sacramento, Kin Thai sat fairly high on my list. In part because I love Thai street food, but mostly because of all of the heady praise I had heard about them and the number of friends who recommended them. So, to say I was excited to unexpectedly come across this place after walking around the Midtown Farmer's Market would be quite the understatement! I mean, how could it feel anything but serendipitously when we had just started to debate on where to head off to for lunch?
Stepping inside on such a hot and sunny day, Kin Thai felt like a refuge in more ways than one. Beyond just how good their A/C felt as it cooled us down, it was nice how cozy it felt in here. Even with all of the people and music going on outside, everything felt so relaxed and peaceful. Of course, our excitement as we scrolled through the menu added to the vibes as well. From their slate of rotating specials, appetizers, soups, and salads to their skewers rice plates, stir-fried noodles, and noodle soups, there were a number of dishes that caught our eye! So much so, in fact, that we somewhat regretted the fact that we didn't come here with friends so that we could try more things!
-- CORN FRITTERS - Crispy Fried Corn Fritters Served with Cucumber Vinaigrette Sauce...$10
All in all, this was pretty solid. Each fritter was packed with corn and was fried to the perfect crispiness, but what impressed me most was how sweet they tasted and how they weren't nearly as oily as I feared they would be. Yum!
-- TOM YUM SOUP - Hot and Spicy Broth with Dry Chili, Lemongrass, Makrut Lime Leaves, Fresh Oyster Mushrooms, Galangal, Lime Juice, and Shrimp (+$3)...$7
We got this on accident (we meant to get the noodle soup version), but I was happy to check this out. The soup was light and had a nice punch of that classic sour and spicy profile to it. However, I do wish it came with a bit more stuff in the bowl, as it felt a little scant.
-- SOFT SHELL CRAB WITH CURRY SAUCE - Golden Fried Soft Shell Crab, Crab Meat, Yellow Onions, Green Onions, Celery, and Sweet Peppers in a Sweet and Savory Yellow Curry Sauce with Jasmine Rice...$32
I originally had something else in mind, but immediately flipped to this because it was so interesting. While the crab was delicious and mixed well with all of the elements, the curry itself was a miss. Mostly, it felt like it was broken, as it had a gloppy consistency instead of being smooth and creamy.
-- TOM YUM NOODLE SOUP - Choice of Thin Rice Noodles or Egg Noodles, Seasoned Ground Pork, Roast Pork, Fish Balls, Fish Cake, Crispy Wonton Skins, and a Soft Boiled Egg...$20
Interestingly, this tasted different than the soup, as it was a bit milder and not nearly as spicy or sour. That said, this wasn't bad. I'm not high on fried wonton skins, and the noodles were jus tokay, but I liked how it came with a generous amount of fish balls/cake and roast pork.
As far as service goes, I thought the workers were all pretty nice and friendly from the moment we walked in. Which, in turn, is why I feel as guilty for not thinking as highly of the food as so many of my fellow Yelpers. Honestly, it has less to do with anything being "bad" and more to do with nothing living up to the hype that we kept hearing. Despite how good the fritters were and how unique the Soft Shell Crab Curry was, the latter was closer to okay relative to its price and the other two dishes we had were more fine than fantastic.
With all of that having been said, considering how beloved Kin Thai is, it's also entirely possible (probable?) that we simply didn't order the right things. At the very least, a couple of the dishes we tried aren't what I usually measure Thai restaurants by, so perhaps I would've had better luck with the things I normally get. If/when the opportunity arises for me to come back, I most definitely want to see if that ends up being the case!