Innuendo and a really terrible pun (and by terrible we mean great) mark this review of South Philadelphia’s Cafe de Laos.

Veg Out: Cafe De Laos [Living On The Vedge]

Craig LaBan takes a look at Chabaa Thai on Main Street in Manayunk. He discovers the spot has come a ways from its original muffled flavors.

The two-year-old Chabaa Thai Bistro has blossomed into a beautiful space, a bilevel room draped in silk fabrics, with gold-leafed walls and art that pays homage to the culture and spiritual life of Thailand. From the earth plow and Buddha imagery on the first floor to the silken lanterns, bamboo fishing traps, and floating market photography on the larger second floor, Chabaa exudes exotic serenity – even when the space hums

Two Bells – Very Good

Chabaa Thai Bistro [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Chabaa Thai Bistro [Official Site]

Foodaphilia heads to Spring Garden Street to sample one of her friends favorite Thai spots, Siam Lotus.

I have a few favorites on the menu, but I venture beyond that comfort zone on occasion. On this recent visit I ordered the Kang Masamun Kai. Chicken with masamun chili paste, potatoes and peanuts in coconut milk. The sauce was incredible, and the chicken was moist, but I wish it had more veggies, or at least one that was green.

Both entrees, an appetizer, a mixed drink, and two glasses of red wine came to just under 60 dollars.

Siam Lotus [Foodaphilia]
Siam Lotus [Official Site]

Foodzings tries out Silk Cuisine in Bryn Mawr to stem a craving for soup on a cold and wet August night.

We both started with the seafood rice soup. I tell ya, this soup is damn great. It’s a simple light broth with rice and lots of seafood. Crab claw meat, squid, and shrimp are included amongst the greens. It definitely has a strong seafood flavor. If you like seafood but don’t like stuff to smell seafoody or taste extremely from the sea, then don’t get this. But for those of you who truly love seafood, this soup is the one for you.

Silk Cuisine – Thai in Bryn Mawr [Foodzings]

Main Line Restaurant Guide visits Royal Thai Orchid in Frazer and calls it “of the best destinations for Thai in the area.”

Excellent Thai cuisine in an elegant but casual setting. Also offers take-out.

3 Silver Spoons out of 5

Royal Thai Orchid, Frazer [Main Line Restaurant Guide]

Finding Philly remarks that there are two dozen Thai restaurants in Philadelphia, but how many are really of note? Well Finding Philly says Smile Cafe is a favorite.

The food seems genuinely Thai and the service is exceptionally friendly (it is called Smile Cafe after all), and the prices are very reasonable.

Smile Cafe [Finding Philly]
Smile Cafe [Official Site]

Our favorite happy couple, Mark and Audrey head to West Philadelphia’s Baltimore Avenue for a truly cool cheap date. The pair get iced coffee at Satellite Cafe, then Vientiane for a Southeast Asian dinner, followed by free Friday night jazz in Cedar Park. They end the evening with cheap beers at the dive bar in the back of Dahlak, an Ethiopian restaurant on Baltimore Avenue.

Cheap Dates: Baltimore Avenue [Philebrity.TV]
Cheap Dates [UWISHUNU]

City Paper does what you do to interns, enter them in a spicy food eating contest.

Sam Tremble enters Chabaa Thai’s Spicy Contest and sets about training for the contest.

Training began Dec. 14, leaving me exactly two months before the registration deadline, plus a practice week before the final round. I started off with a handful of small green Thai chilies, a few long greens and two jalapenos raw while my roommate filmed my reaction with his digital camera. (I needed a stony expression if I wanted to win this thing.) But the kernel of my eventual failure was already planted: I had no poker face. Still, my ability to endure increased, and I built my tolerance for pain like a circuit drunk builds his route.

Could Sam win? Read on to find out.

Hot Pursuit [City Paper]

Zagat asks restaurant industry insiders what they would like to see more and less of in 2007.

Among those quoted are Philadelphia heavy hitters, Jose Garces, Stephen Starr and Susanna Foo.

Starr and Foobooz agree that it would be nice to see some more done with Thai cuisine. Especially in Philadelphia.

What the Pros Want in 2007 [Zagat Survey]

Kirsten Henri finds Aqua, the new Malaysian and Thai restaurant on the 700 block of Walnut Street to be hospitable from top to bottom, and full of good food.

On a visit to the three-month-old spot, I watch him [co-owner Jim Tran] work the room in a fashion that could be described only as Clintonian. He provides a glorious display of feverish hand-pumping for an older couple, who seem delighted to be recognized as regulars. For the younger couple dining next to us, he clucks approval over their small, boring order as if it�s the first time he�s ever heard anyone order chicken satay. For us, a heartfelt inquiry on our thoughts over the various dishes and a mini monologue on his strategy for keeping the restaurant running smoothly leaves us glowing like the star quarterback just asked our geeky selves to the prom. Oh, and the food is good too.

Thai of the Tiger [Philadelphia Weekly]
Photo via Philadelphia Weekly