Aroy Thai, 11221 Commerce (Lake Michigan Drive) ~ 10/23/14

After a trip to a Sprint store for a phone needing repair, we headed further west down Lake Michigan Drive to see if we could spot a new to us local restaurant to try. Lo and behold, there was Aroy Thai.

We spotted a car at the drive-through and almost bailed. What kind of Thai restaurant would have a drive-through? This location was obviously the previous home of some kind of fast food chain. But we decided to check it out.

Ten booths line two of the walls and four tables for four fill the middle. The kitchen must be very small and here is the view of the counter and cashier (you need to walk up to payout). These people are adapting around the fast food format. Decor is sparse and cheesy art hangs on the walls. But the place is clean and the service was attentive and friendly.

We started with crispy rolls: chicken, onions, vermicelli, and carrots wrapped in rice paper and served with sweet chili sauce. Altogether good but slightly salty.

We toyed with trying one of the three soups but decided against it. But we were served the soup of the day with our order ~ a chicken and rice concoction. It was very yellow and greasy with just a slight chicken representation.

Five spice levels are listed but as we discussed the mild vs. medium with our server she advised that I could get a mild plus. Perfect. Shades of Bangkok Taste Cuisine.

As per my usual Thai order, I had to go with Pad Thai with Tofu. The ingredients are all the same everywhere but here the dish was slightly salty. It was the noodles, and yes, I have an aversion to salt, which masks every other flavor. The mild+ was not as hot as promised and it was a huge jump from mild+ to medium, which was Matt's order, Peanut Curry Noodles. 

The steamed noodles were sticky, the abundance of carrots were a delight, and it was hot, as advertised. Don't complain about spice levels here because they have not Americanized them down.

We both took food home and on the way out checked out the drive-in. It turns out it was from a previous restaurant and the car we saw there when we arrived was obviously not in the know.

The car seen here is parked :-) Check them out if you're in the Allendale area because it's not bad but not great. We'll try other dishes there if we make our way back because it seems to be a great addition to a location saturated by national chains. And just so you know "Aroy" means delicious.