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🇹🇭 Best Thai in Philly?! My Honest Thoughts on Kalaya

As a Thai food lover, I’d been really looking forward to trying Kalaya, especially after they earned a James Beard Award nomination this year. But maybe my expectations were too high… My boyfriend and I ordered three dishes: 🍲 Tom Yum Kalaya – $65 | Spice: 🌶️🌶️ The broth was rich and flavorful, packed with ingredients. But the star of the dish — the four tiger prawns — were not fresh. I tried two: one shrimp head was raw, the other shrimp meat was mushy (sign of poor handling/storage). Also, they don’t devein the shrimp… The soup was only lukewarm when served — even putting the shrimp head back in didn’t cook it. The server said “the shrimp head roe makes the broth richer” 😐 🍖 Pork Ribs Curry – $29 | Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Marked as the “spiciest” dish on the menu — the server and my boyfriend thought I was brave (or psycho) for ordering it. We even discussed a backup plan in case it was too fiery to eat there… But honestly? Seriously?! Is this it? My boyfriend said: “The ribs aren’t spicy — they’re actually pretty bland on their own.” It wasn’t even as spicy as the pork knuckle noodle soup at Cafe Diem 🍄 Stir-fried Assorted Mushrooms – $22.50 | Not spicy This dish was actually good — juicy, sweet, flavorful mushrooms. It helped cool my frustration a little… Overall: As a Thai restaurant, it’s not bad, but the tiny space can’t carry such huge expectations. Other complaints: 1️⃣ Parking is tough (they offer $12 valet) 2️⃣ Expensive — after tax & tip, we paid over $150 for two 3️⃣ No chopsticks provided — further proof it’s “Americanized Thai” For Thai in Philly, I still prefer JJ Thai — better value and taste. The spiciest Thai I’ve had so far is Ugly Baby in NYC — makes you sweat with one bite! 🌶️💦 P.S. Cafe Diem’s pork knuckle noodle soup is decent — rich, spicy broth. My boyfriend thought the pork was tough; some friends found it too fatty… But it’s cheap ($12–14 depending on size) and cash only. #PhillyEats #KalayaThai #ThaiFood #HonestReview #Overhyped #JamesBeard #SpiceLover

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🇹🇭 Best Thai in Philly?! My Honest Thoughts on Kalaya

As a Thai food lover, I’d been really looking forward to trying Kalaya, especially after they earned a James Beard Award nomination this year. But maybe my expectations were too high… My boyfriend and I ordered three dishes: 🍲 Tom Yum Kalaya – $65 | Spice: 🌶️🌶️ The broth was rich and flavorful, packed with ingredients. But the star of the dish — the four tiger prawns — were not fresh. I tried two: one shrimp head was raw, the other shrimp meat was mushy (sign of poor handling/storage). Also, they don’t devein the shrimp… The soup was only lukewarm when served — even putting the shrimp head back in didn’t cook it. The server said “the shrimp head roe makes the broth richer” 😐 🍖 Pork Ribs Curry – $29 | Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Marked as the “spiciest” dish on the menu — the server and my boyfriend thought I was brave (or psycho) for ordering it. We even discussed a backup plan in case it was too fiery to eat there… But honestly? Seriously?! Is this it? My boyfriend said: “The ribs aren’t spicy — they’re actually pretty bland on their own.” It wasn’t even as spicy as the pork knuckle noodle soup at Cafe Diem 🍄 Stir-fried Assorted Mushrooms – $22.50 | Not spicy This dish was actually good — juicy, sweet, flavorful mushrooms. It helped cool my frustration a little… Overall: As a Thai restaurant, it’s not bad, but the tiny space can’t carry such huge expectations. Other complaints: 1️⃣ Parking is tough (they offer $12 valet) 2️⃣ Expensive — after tax & tip, we paid over $150 for two 3️⃣ No chopsticks provided — further proof it’s “Americanized Thai” For Thai in Philly, I still prefer JJ Thai — better value and taste. The spiciest Thai I’ve had so far is Ugly Baby in NYC — makes you sweat with one bite! 🌶️💦 P.S. Cafe Diem’s pork knuckle noodle soup is decent — rich, spicy broth. My boyfriend thought the pork was tough; some friends found it too fatty… But it’s cheap ($12–14 depending on size) and cash only. #PhillyEats #KalayaThai #ThaiFood #HonestReview #Overhyped #JamesBeard #SpiceLover

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