Glai Baan — Restaurant in Phoenix

Wow, Glai Baan, you are absolutely amazing! Nick and I came into town to go to Fan Fusion this weekend and my amazing Project Centrl buddy Ashley said you were THE restaurant to visit.

You.Did.Not.Dissapoint!

With Nick coming into PHX later we squeaked in at late 8:40ish and you kindly allowed us to be seated and served 20 minutes before closing. Thank you for being so gracious and kind to allow that. We’ve both worked in food service in our life and know there are times when last minute guests are not appreciated. After being seated in your quaint outdoor patio we were introduced to Chinda and she took amazing care of us. We asked her to select our meals, our drinks, basically choreograph our whole dining experience. Although we both like Thai cuisine, we also understand every eatery has its own strengths and we absolutely were naïve to yours. We did state our level of experience with spice levels for cautionary purposes and with her soon to be catch phrase of “I got you” while smiling, Chinda whisked away to put in our order.

First, I was given a cocktail, called a Sunshower. I think it was a brandy-based drink with maybe orange, mango and pineapple juice. It was warm up front and sweet on the back end to me. I thought I was odd, however was a method to the madness.

Our first dish arrived shortly afterward. It was one of the two specials of the night called Eggplant Salad. It was cut rounds of eggplant with seasoned pork, hard boiled egg and shrimp. It had just a hint of heat and was fantastic. After savoring a bite, I was pleasantly surprised how well the cocktail paired with it. The transition of heat level from the food to the initial bite of the cocktail was seamless! Call me beyond impressed. Next, they brought out the Moo Ping, which I think was some pork skewers and a little dipping sauce. They were rich, with just a little bit of fat to give the melt in your mouth experience. Exquisite.

The second special of the evening, Shrimp with Glass Noodles, was the next feature dish. There were a few other things, scallions I think, inside this pot that was presented to us as well as a little sauce. The food was steaming and so we gingerly removed the tail from the shrimp, twirled up some noodles and with the shrimp took a dip of the sauce. There was a tremendous flavor expansion through my tastebuds. Incredible. I don’t know if the ingredients are seasonal; this should be on the main menu.

They brought out the next two dishes together, the Chinese Broccoli dish and Panang Curry. We had the Chinese Broccoli first which had small cuts of meat and some leafy stuff on rice and hard-boiled egg. It was really good, solid, tasty, just good. This, I believe, showed the genius of Chinda. Everything presented, especially the previous dish, all lead up to the Panang Curry. Oh.My.Gosh. This was heaven. I could have just eaten 4 servings of this and been in a food coma, being rolled out the restaurant and died. Chinda, like a conductor at a symphony, increased the cadence and varied the tempo to lead up to this food crescendo! I really am at a loss for words for this simplistic meat (beef?), sauce with mint and rice. If anyone visits Glai Baan this is the one dish I’d swear they should lovingly, tenderly, savagely consume.

We were then offered desert and with a little room left the only answer was “Yes, Please!” Chinda, in her seemingly omnipotent powers at this point, smirked again with “I got you.”

A few minutes later we were presented with Kanom Custard. Warm bread chunks and a dipping sauce that was kind of like the basis of bread pudding, with a touch of coconut curry in it. It was spectacular & filling. I was not thinking I would be full leaving this establishment before desert. Unfortunately, I failed and left one bread chunk left untouched. There simply no room left in my previously cavernous stomach.

We paid the bill, the gentleman who welcomed us in earlier thanked us for coming as we walked out the front door.

Glai Baan this was truly a wonderful experience, you are a treasure,...

Wow! One of the best meals I’ve had in a long time! The care and quality of every dish was top notch. All of the staff were so friendly and made you feel at welcome and at home! We started with the dumplings, chicken wings, and oyster mushrooms. All of the small plates were so rich with flavor and perfectly cooked! I honestly didn’t think it could get bette than that, but the main dish was absolutely heaven. I got the Panang Curry and I pretty much lost my mind. The broth was on another level! It was so different than the standard Panang that I get elsewhere. Instead of just curry spices and coconut milk, it’s a rich broth that is full of complex flavors and savory richness! It was honestly one of those out of body food experiences that you can’t truly explain! The other folks in my party had the crab fried rice, the house special Thai style sukiyaki, and pad kee mao. And everyone loved those as well! We finished up with the mango sticky rice (my first time!) and it was different and delightful! Definitely try it!

Overall, it far exceeded expectations and was totally worth making a reservation 2 weeks out!

A quick note, don’t expect to be able to walk in and just get a table, they seem to be full all the time, so while you may get lucky, you will probably have to wait an hour or 2 to get a seat if you are a walk in. And try to stick with 2-4 people max. The space is small and you may not be able to get a table for parties bigger than 4.

One tip: Parking is extremely limited. Instead of driving around the tiny lot and getting jammed up by others doing the same thing, we just went one block down to 23rd and parked there, then made the short walk over. It made things much less stressful and the walk really...

I had heard about this place from some local chef friends, and then soon after read a review in AZcentral. Having recently moved from Seattle which has a thriving Thai scene, I didn’t know if I would be as impressed as everyone else - but let it be known that I will sing Glai Baan’s praises from Camelback.

There are three things I have to commend them on. The first is the food itself. I can only think of one other time where I was so impressed with Thai flavors (Soi in Seattle). Nothing was too sweet or too spicy or too salty or too sour. Everything was just perfectly balanced and so enjoyable. The dumplings, sour pork, papaya salad, Panang curry - everything was top notch and definitely crave-able!

The next thing is their libations. Phoenix and the surrounding areas always impresses me with the drinks, and Glai Baan is just as noteworthy for their cocktails as they are for their food. One in particular (I am spacing on the Thai name, but it means “come back”) is made with pandan, butterfly pea flower, and gin - it is out of this world. Add the lime juice and be blown away.

The last thing was the service. There were many amazing people who helped us and checked in, refilled drinks, bussed our table, etc. but I have to give special kudos to Tong and Danny. Both of them made the visit so warm and friendly; you can tell how much they care about the staff, customers, and especially the food. Tong is super adept at learning which flavors you like and helping curate the whole experience if you are open to it.

Definitely go, enjoy yourself, and just drink in the experience. Don’t be in a rush, don’t be annoyed with parking, just be thankful to have such amazing...