Mama Surang Thai Kitchen — Restaurant in Spring Valley

Ok, I am extremely picky with my Thai food, and this place is in my top three Thai restaurants in all of Vegas. It's a must-try!

They make all the curry paste from scratch and have a secret family recipe for red curry paste (this is discussed on the menu). It's a lot of work to make curry paste from scratch because you have to pound a bunch of ingredients, but it results in the curries and anything that uses curry paste being so much more flavorful, anti-inflammatory, healthy, and having a more complex flavor than at Thai places that use pre-made curry pastes.

This also means they are better able to accommodate requests for the curries. I frequently request for it to be made without sugar and extra-spicy and they can accommodate that. This is much better than most Thai restaurants, where the curry sauce is pre-mixed with sugar already added, and it's just less fresh and you have fewer options. I just feel healthy after having the curry here and at my other two top Thai places.

The chef, TK, has some great prior experience (someone wrote he had worked with Alex Stratta and Guy Savoy.) and connection with Thailand, if I'm not mistaken he is from Thailand and has spent a lot of time there if not had a restaurant there. He took over the restaurant in Vegas from his aunt a few years ago. Apologies if I'm getting details wrong. But generally, TK really knows Thai food and gives the restaurant fresh energy. He comes out to talk to patrons and recognized us even after just seeing us one time in the restaurant before on a crowded day. He also has a TikTok channel with some hilarious and interesting videos (@mamasurangthaikitchen).

We mainly eat the soups and curries because we try to limit seed oils/vegetable oil and don't want the seed oils that would be in a stir-fry or noodles (they use soybean oil), but the curries have been incredible. The Massaman curry is just so tasty. It's nice to have options to have it with brisket, pork, lots of things. I frequently get the green curry. When I've had leftovers, the way they chill in the fridge makes it clear they are really made well and not super-high in oil. The flavors in the curries are really complex and wonderful and I've not had a bad one yet. We've ordered their Thai curries at least 10x now and it's a mainstay for us now in our restaurant rotation.

For anyone else limiting seed oils for health reasons, many of the salads, soups, and curries can be made without oil or with low oil. Many Thai dressings are just lime juice, fish sauce, and flavorings with no oil.

They deliver on Doordash, the prices are reasonable (not much more than in the restaurant), and they pack the food really well so it doesn't fall over during transport.

They have a lunch special. It's kinda small but well-priced. The outdoor sign about it is kinda funny because it says buy one get one free, which normally means get a second thing free when you buy one (like a second lunch special), but it means get a free eggroll with the lunch special.

I want to try more items on the menu, like the po tak seafood soup, glass noodle salad, tom yum, and tofu and glass noodle soup. This restaurant will definitely make you want to come back for more!

The music is pretty upbeat and the restaurant has a good vibe. Nice for date nights.

The prices are good for what you get. I think the quality is better than Weera Thai, and the prices here are usually better.

As you see in our photos we ate everything! that's the brisket Panang curry and red curry.

Please patronize this place! We need to support authentic Thai restaurants that do Thai food right and make their curry paste from scratch! It's healthier and tastes so...

Please note this restaurant as of a few weeks ago (june/ july 2023?) has been under new management with new staff, and will have a slightly shifted name. When I went last week there were a few boxes of decorations still finding their homes in the place. Consider older reviews irrelevent at this point. I know this because, full disclosure, I recently met one of the new owners at an unrelated job and she was excited about her restaurant and suggested I come try the food. I was in the neighbourhood so I said why not check it out. I wish it was closer to my house because I'd definitely order from there again. My honest opinion of the food is that it is on point. If I hadn't liked it, in this case, I probably would have just declined to write a review at all. Thankfully, it is quite good.

The long if it:

The crab rangoon appetizer was made a little differently then anything I've had in the past, See the photo. It looked more lile the shape of a dimsum dumpling then a flat wonton triangle. It was an upright pillow stuffed with flavour full filling with a hint of scallion. I don't remember tasting scallion before in crab rangoon but it was nice. The coconut soup tasted like a memory. It was so flavourful, reminded me of a favourite spot in college under the blue line in Chicago. My son liked his shrimp noodles and the sticky rice desert. The vegetables were really fresh and vibrant and still had some crunch, really just perfectly timed on the cooking if the veg in every dish. We brought food home to his dad; he asked for crispy pork and 2 other dishes. He thinks its best to order crispy pork in restaurant because it didn't stay crispy in the takeout container but he liked the flavour of everything we brought home.

The waitress was really sweet to my son advised for chicken satay appetizer, which my son refused to eat (being fussy after a 117 degree day) so I had one stick minus one bite of it and found that it was made well and well seasoned (I'm not a big curry fan so I took the rest home to dad).

Oh and I got papaya salad and I wish I would have ordered it spicier.

Sorry my photos all show my food with a bite taken...

A longtime resident of Sun West Promenade Surang's Thai Kitchen changed hands in Autumn 2023, the new name “Mama Surang Thai Kitchen” paying homage to its founders while cookery is now in the hands of a native of Thailand who worked with Alex Stratta and Guy Savoy.

Now back from their homeland after the pandemic, a husband and wife team with their children frequently helping out around the Restaurant, Mama Surang Thai Kitchen is found on Fort Apache between Hacienda and Russel with minimal signage but a welcoming atmosphere.

Far from lavish, minimal décor and a few tables filled by locals, Surang’s menu focuses on traditional Thai flavors with just a hint of fusion utilized to accentuate flavor without compromising high quality Ingredients.

Cooked to order in a small kitchen, take-out occasionally delaying service, guests are invited to begin with Iced Coffee or Thai Tea with Cream plus appetizers such as fresh Spring Rolls filled with crunchy Vegetables, Thai Beef Jerky or traditional Chicken Satay

Intended such that “every plate serves an experience,” a bowl of Tom Kha richer than that of Lotus of Siam or Weera, Surang’s Silver Noodle Salad at spice “Level 5” finds diverse textures accentuated by acid while fried Spinach is oilless and light.

Next offered “Crispy Fish Delight,” Flouder flash fried and teaming with Red Peppers amidst Beans with sharp notes of Ginger, Surang’s “Entrees” offer good depth of flavor whether Cashew Chicken or Basil Beef.

Making several styles of Curry each day, Chef’s suggestion of Panang with spoon-tender Brisket an absolute delight in terms of taste and texture, Yellow comes across a little flat by comparison while Pad Thai executes well without reinventing the wheel.

Impressing with Pad Se Ew, ribbons of Rice slicked in Soy with Beef and Broccoli, Tableside Wagyu Crab Khao Soi is a $35 “Chef Special” bargain while Dessert stays traditional featuring faultless Sticky Rice and a ripe Mango...