MaDee Thai Kitchen — Restaurant in Costa Mesa

MaDee Thai Kitchen is a small yet quaint Thai restaurant. It's pretty clear from my time in the restaurant that the focus is online take out orders. The atmosphere is plain, and there are only three tables set up. Everything is neat and clean and in its proper place.

The process of ordering food is walk up to the counter, review the one page menu and place your order, then either wait for it to be made to go, or take a seat and it will be brought to you. Seriously, a no frills establishment. That being said, the food is spit on!

I ordered a small house salad, and when I was unsure if I wanted the vinegar/ soy dressing or the peanut dressing, the staff recommended the soy, and it was just what the doctor ordered. The salad was freshly cut, and it showed. Next on the table was the dumplings/ gyoza, and they were perfect. Just the right amount of fried deliciousness without being burnt. There were six (6) in the order. Finally, the entree I ordered, Pork Pad Thai, was brought over. This was so perfectly seasoned that I almost forgot to add a little soy. The pork and the noodles were perfect in their preparation. It's a good amount of food. It was so good that I have already decided the next time I go, I want to try the Shrimp Pad Thai.

It you like Thai food or want to try "good" Thai food, then MaDee Thai Kitchen is a great place to try. You won't be...

There's this Thai Kitchen in Costa Mesa that goes by the name of MaDee. It's small unassuming but has a lot of heart in its dishes. It is a fast casual cafe setting so despite the modern industrial feel, you will still experience the full spectrum of Thai food here.

The flavors are of Northern Thai so you get a lot more of the Burmese, Chinese and Laotian influences from that region. My friend Drew M. introduced me to this place because he knows that I love all things spicy. We tried the larb, Kao Soi, and the chow mein. Everything was cooked to order so we waited a few minutes for our order to come out.

The larb was deconstructed and really disappointing. I have had better and although it's a fresh dish that is light (think lettuce wraps), I was not impressed by the flavors. I was looking for that combination of sweet, sour, savory, and spice. It was lacking. However, I did love the spiciness of the chow mein and the Kao Soi was so amazing. The Kao Soi is crispy noodles in a yellow curry soup. It's so good. I would definitely order this again. The spice was perfect and the coconut flavor very pronounced. They do not skimp on spice if you ask for it. I was quite pleased with the other two dishes. 3.5...

This Thai restaurant is absolutely amazing. The Panang Beef Curry is great! (Don't forget to dump your rice into it - a trick to soak up and enjoy all the great sauce, so ask for some extra steamed rice). The Crying Tiger is amazing as well. It has so much flavor and it was very good, cooked to the perfect temperature. I've had Crying Tiger at many other places and the quality of the beef has been bad and the meat overcooked. No beef should ever be cooked over 135 F. The Pad See Ew is great (I prefer it with chicken). I'll be eating here quite often in the future!

Quick update, this restaurant is missing from the food app I was ordering with. Really disappointing. I hope they bring it...