Baan Thai, Oak Bay

Baan Thai have three locations across Victoria, one downtown, one in Royal Oak, and one on the edge of Oak Bay.  I've been to the downtown before and remember thinking it was pretty good.  My friend asked if I wanted to grab food there after hanging down by sea in Oak Bay, it seemed like a good idea.

The venue is a small mall near to the Safeways in Oak Bay, and from outside it looks pretty unimposing,  Inside it has a long bench with push together tables, and whole set of individual tables, with a small bar up front. There are some wall hangings to make the place seem more cosy and private, and a lot of wood and wood effect.  It's a nice environment, and the wall hangings and paintings mix up a feeling of 'ethnic' and modern.  I say ethnic, as I have no idea if they are Thai, or Egyptian, or just stuff.

We got seated quickly, as it was towards the end of the evening session.  Couple of tables hadn't been bussed yet, and no-one seemed in a huge hurry to clean it up, but hardly a problem. Water was served, with the menus, and then the hard part of deciding what to eat began.  They've decent sized menu with a variety of Thai dishes, ranging from Thai-style curry, noodles, rice and meat dishes.  A decent slew of Vegeterian options, though I'd have liked less options with Tofu there.

I got a Jasmine tea and my friend got a bottle of Phoenix Lager.  Our waitress served well throughout the meal, never rushing us, but making sure everything was okay, and water was kept topped up.  She also had the looks of a model, but I try not to stare at the staff too hard, but when a female friend comments that someone is stunning... well you should look at least.

I went for the Om Gai, a slow cooked bone-in chicken dish, served in a hot, spicy gravy.  No veg, just a rich, sauce that combined well with the steamed rice.  The meat was fall of the bone delicious, the chicken fat merging into the sauce, making it incredibly comforting and satiating food.  The sauce was hotter than I was expecting, but I hadn't had spicy food for a while.  A very pleasant kick. The rice was a just a little dry, but with the sauce, worked beautifully.

My friend had the Preow Wan Gai, a Thai-style Sweet and Sour chicken.  A vibrant looking dish, cooked with lemons as well as bell peppers, cucumbers and pineapple.  The lemon and a nice sour tang to the sweet and sour sauce, and the veggies and meat were nicely cooked. A little bit of buyers regret on my side.  Definitely the healthy of the two dishes.

The extra for the steamed rice was a bit annoying, as the main dishes weren't super cheap, and steamed rice isn't a huge overhead, but otherwise I felt we got good value for money in terms of quality of food and service.

Final Bill :
Om Gai, $13.50
Preow Wann Gai, $13.50
Two steamed rice bowls, $5.00
Bottle of Phillips Gold Phoenix, $5.00
Jasmine Tea, $1.25

Total with taxes and tip : $50.50

Phone :  250-598-0057
Address : 104-2000 Cadboro Bay Road, Oak Bay, Victoria
Website : http://baanthaivictoria.ca