Readers, I actually googled “what makes Thai food so good?” Many, many hits, and they agreed that it’s the use of contrast: a blend of “sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors, creating a symphony of tastes in every dish.” Well, wouldn’t proponents of most cuisines want to claim that they create a symphony of tastes? I searched “what makes British food so good?” Nope. (And a lot fewer hits.)
I agree with the internet. The best Thai dishes do have a lot going on, the complexity characteristic I always look for. I’ve tended to downplay Thai food in recent years, in favor of Vietnamese, which is a lot lighter. But I’m being won back to Thai dishes that can be, well, downright gloppy, if you want to be pejorative, or “hearty” or “filling” if you don’t. Which I don’t.
Take the staple, Pad Thai, the most ordered dish at Royal Oak’s Kacha Thai according to owner Siri Pipat. Sure, bean sprouts are pretty weightless (calorifically, not nutritionally). But they’re the topping on a mélange of rice noodles, eggs, peanuts, tofu, and your choice of meat, with a palm-sugar sauce. Ethereal it’s not. And it felt like comfort food; I loved it, couldn’t stop picking though I was full. The soft, skinny noodles take on a winey vibe.
And that wasn’t even the best dish I tried from an extensive menu.
Looking at soups, I should have ordered Tom Yum Doo Dee just for the name. But I asked for Boat Noodle Soup (Tiew Nam Tok) instead and was not sorry. Its description reads a lot like Vietnamese pho, but with its braised beef and meatballs it’s thicker (though not stew-like at all), richer, saltier, and though I love pho, even more mouthwatering, the most unusual of the dishes we tried at Kacha Thai.
Tom Kha, also a perennial favorite, likewise did not disappoint. (Be sure to ask for the newest menu, as the old ones include only Tom Yum.) Coconut cream, lime juice, peppery galangal, chicken broth, chiles — see the range of flavors, each doing its bit. Kacha Thai’s is generous with the chicken and a lovely ivory color with golden blobs of liquid fat. One online cook tells of his efforts to make Tom Kha not taste like a warm smoothie, which he achieves by cutting the coconut and boosting the galangal. Kacha may be doing the same.
Curries come with a side of rice, no extra charge. Massaman is the heartiest, what with the potatoes, and I broke tradition by asking for mine with pork (its origins are Muslim). Most dishes can be had with chicken, tofu, beef, or pork and sometimes shrimp or other seafood is an option. The massaman has a good kick from the tamarind. Red curry, whose color is golden, is also fine, with a prominent coconut profile.
Sticking with the classics, Drunken Noodles are infinitely comforting, with their soft, wide pasta. I don’t favor dishes that feature green peppers, because of their lack of flavor, but the abundance here did not hurt the dish and the licorice taste of Thai basil came through. I’d always assumed that Drunken Noodles are named for their winey taste, but it turns out it’s because they are best consumed alongside a cold beer. (There is no liquor license here yet.)
I found Kacha’s fried rice more ordinary, though the other scarfers spoke highly of it. It comes in garlic and pineapple versions and with whatever meat condiment. Least enjoyable was the Moo Ping appetizer, pork skewers with a tangy sauce that didn’t work for me, despite cilantro. Other appetizers are satay, spring rolls, crab Rangoon, deep-fried tofu, wings, pork cracklings, and pork rinds.
Kacha offers several versions of papaya salad but I tried apple and found it refreshing amongst the richer entrées. The Granny Smith slivers, cashews, and red onion retain their crunch in a vinegar dressing. Other “salads” are more like cold entrées, mostly meat.
To drink, since there’s no beer, you can try longan soda, made from that Southeast Asian fruit. I thought the result was like a very sweet Coca Cola, with the grape-like balls floating in the liquid. Bubble tea and iced coffee are also available.
Open since July, Kacha Thai is one medium-size room with wooden tables, Thai hangings, and very friendly servers. The Detroit News tapped Kacha for its list of best new restaurants in 2023. You can sample its menu at an all-you-can-eat buffet event from noon-9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 4, with a live Thai musical performance from 7-9 p.m.; the cost is $24.95.
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