Sunday, January 23, 2011

NoHO Thai: Swan

I used to go to NoHO for Thai quite often in the days of the great Wat Thai Temple food fair. Once the Temple shut down its weekend food stalls, a few years ago, I spent some time looking for NoHo alternatives, hitting Krua Thai and Sri Siam, but since then, I've stuck closer to home. Finding myself heading to the Valley, I asked my colleagues at Chowhound for a recommendation, and they did not disappoint. From their recommendations, I chose Swan Thai.

Swan Thai on Sherman Way just east of Coldwater, was my latest NoHo try. This is one of those places where pretty much everything is great. Chinese broccoli with crispy pork was better than most I've tried. The pork was fried up to chewy, crispy little chicharrones, the sauce was rich and porky, my only complaint was that there weren't enough of those addictive little pork pieces. Papaya salad was a fine specimen, as was the Thai sausage. The stir fried morning glories, one of my favorite dishes but one that is sometimes mostly garlicky, had garlic but also a real rich meaty flavor. One of my favorite dishes was the oxtail soup, a super-beefy, super rich and spicy beef broth.

This place is definitely going on the must-return list.

Swan Thai
12728 Sherman Way
North Hollywood, CA 91605
(818) 764-1892

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