Anna Thai
As previously mentioned, we’ve been trying to cut back on spending. This means we’re on the lookout for tasty yet inexpensive places to have a meal.
Anna Thai has been on my radar for a few months now. I love thai food, and I like to try places within my own neighbourhood; Anna is a short walk from our apartment. So we decided to go there for dinner over the long weekend.
The first thing that really hits you about this place when you walk in is the decor. They have a little garden right inside the front door, with a variety of tropical plants. I think I will really appreciate this feature once it is -40 outside! The rest of the place is tastefully done with various Asian and Asian-inspired pieces. Makes for a calming atmosphere in which to enjoy your food.
We both started with an order of their fresh vegetable spring rolls, which were a nice mixture of fresh vegetables wrapped in rice paper and served with a peanut sauce. The sauce was slightly spicy, which made it perfect for the light tasting rolls.
For mains, Rich had the ‘original Thai pad Thai’, which is different than the usual pad thai because it contains both fresh and dried shrimp, and it has tamarind sauce instead of a sweet and sour peanut sauce. We both figured it wasn’t the usual North American style we’d had at most restaurants. While he really liked the dish, he was a bit disappointed he wasn’t more adventurous — turns out he’s had this style of pad Thai many times before. As for myself, I had the Pad Ki Mow with shrimp, figuring lightly spicy was the way to go. I was very pleased with my own meal, as it had the right amount of spice, nice big juicy shrimp, and just enough sprouts for a bit of crunch.
For dessert, we treated ourselves to the mango and pistachio ice cream, which I’d had years ago at Sweet Basil, a ‘sister’ restaurant to Anna Thai. The ice cream is really more like a sorbet and has that icy, rather than creamy, feel to it. But that’s ok, because that’s exactly what makes it so refreshing! It is the perfect end to a spicy meal.
Would we go back? Absolutely, although for budget reasons we might skip dessert and order non-alcoholic drinks next time.
Anna Thai, 91 Holland Avenue, (613) 759-8472. Dinner for two with drinks, dessert and tip, $75.