Thai Lada — Restaurant in Cedar Park

We pass this place many times and finally got a chance to try it. I am so glad we did. The menu was so hard to choose from but I decided to try the basics to see if they did it well. Cry Baby Cry wings were crispy and had the right amount of heat. It was not salty and it came with a sweet sauce. I really liked the Tom Yum Soup. Most restaurants have it either too sour or watery but Thai Lada's tom yum had the right sourness. The vegetables were unexpected - red bell pepper, carrots, cabbage, all al dente and not mushy. I have to go back for more. I have tried papaya salad from different Thai restaurants and was usually disappointed. Thai Lada's papaya salad was very well balanced. The papaya was crunchy and fresh tasting. Finally we tried the chicken rice. There was so much chicken and the rice was so flavorful. The ginger sauce that came with it was so good ins pite of it being a bit sweet. I could drink the ginger sauce. My daughter and I asked for level 3 spice and it was not spicey so will do level 4 next time. I also noticed the table next to us had a condiment container that had chilies so will ask for that too. As for the service, everyone was so attentive making sure all was good and we had what we needed. Ambience-wise, it is peaceful if you face the window since they have plants outside. It was also not loud like other restaurants so that you can enjoy your meal and chat with your daughter. Overall, I was really pleasant with the food, service, and ambience. I want to go back and try other dishes but want more...

I had lunch here on September 23rd, 2013 with my wife.

First the bad...the place is overly aromatic. my wife and I coughed a bit and so did some of the other customers. It was not too bad to me but I could see that it might be a turn off to some. Second the waitstaff is inexperienced. However, I see this as a "growing pains" type thing and should take care of itself in a week or so (although I keep hearing Chef Robert in my head "You don't know your menu?" :-). Last the menu print is really small.

On to the good...

The place is adorable. They are doing a good job of transforming the Zakias (the old restaurant here) look into a elegant modern Thai look.

The lunch menu has a good election of food. I was happy to see they have good mix of non spicy hot and spicy hot food.

I ordered the Gang Dang curry which was nice and hot (I'd call it Thai-medium). My wife ordered Pad Pak (stir-fired veggies) which was mild and flavorful. The lunch meals came with the soup of the day, a yummy radish chicken soup, sweet and sour coated vermicelli, and an appetizer. I ordered the fried sweet corn and my wife ordered the pork wontons. Both were freshly prepared and delicious. The appetizer portions were large enough to share.

The lemon grass tea was sweet and excellent. It was very refreshing with the spiciness of my dish.

For $24 (including a 20% tip) I thought the value was very good.

My wife and I are looking forward to our next visit.

(Admittedly a copy of my yelp review)

[edit: posted...

The Panang Curry was perfection. That needs saying. Why the 1 star, you ask? 4 adults, 2 children. That was my group. This business decided we needed a 20% added gratuity (which last time I checked, gratuity should be a customer decision, not a business one), and that to me is an insta 1 star anywhere. Let's write that again so you don't think it's a typo: twenty percent on 4 adults and two 5 year old's. If my group is 50 people, you get 50 people's worth of money, of positive word of mouth, etc, etc. Count your blessings, say thanks, end of story. You would make a killer profit serving 50 people. I've lived in the USA for nearly 2 decades (2 years waiting tables, large groups included, too!) and I am yet to hear solid logic as to why a larger group of customers needs an added penalty of any kind in any business. You moved 2 tables together, 20% extra? Please! I'll move them next time if that's your issue. If the issue is money, raise the menu prices. This level of greed, to me, is not only unethical towards large groups, not to mention discriminatory against slightly larger families, is simply unacceptable. A lot of places do added gratuity for large groups, you say? Cool story: A lot of...