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[rating:3]

Khunnai Chang Thai Cuisine is located in the West End on Denman Street. It’s an authentic Thai restaurant with exceptionally friendly service and some killer fried garlic pepper squids.

Khunnai Chang is small, with enough seats to fit a cozy size crowd. Individually lit candles are placed on each table to add a bit of warmth to the ambiance.

(Above: Red Curry with Pork, Bamboo Shoots and Coconut Milk.)

We started off with the Som Tam Thai: A shredded papaya salad with long beans, tomatoes, garlic, chilies, lime juice and peanuts. The salad was nicely shredded, but had a strong fish sauce aroma.

Next, rice with Gaeng Keo Wan: red curry with pork and bamboo shoots in coconut milk. The red curry was beautifully smooth and savoury. The pork was a bit dry due to the leanness of the meat, but still good.

Lastly, Bameuk Kratiem Prik Thai: fried, savoury squid tossed with bits of garlicky goodness, crunchy snap peas and broccoli. The squid was light, tender, crispy and not the least bit rubbery. It isn’t often that I can easily cut squid with a knife, let alone a spoon — it was pure love.

(Above: Bameuk Kratiem Prik Thai — Fried Squid in Garlic Sauce.)

Our bill including taxes and tips came to just under $50, a bit pricier then we expected. However, the food was good and the service excellent. Earlier, our server had forgotten to make our papaya salad spicy as requested and was immediately apologetic when she realized the mistake. She offered to remake the dish. We took a pass, but was pleased with the acknowledgement. Khunnai Chang is worth another visit.

Perfect for: A little taste of Thailand.

The Details

835 Denman Street, Vancouver
604.801.6093
khunnaichang.com

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