638 College St.
416- 535- THAI

Wendy, Daniel, Faline and I went last week for dinner to Urban Thai, located right in the heart of Little Italy at College and Grace. Part of the Friendly Thai/Just Thai chain of restaurants Daniel and I immediately recognized the identical look of the menu and pricing. We asked the waiter for a confirmation and he told us that Urban Thai is not affiliated with Urban Thai Bistro in the Beaches but is part of the Just Thai and The Friendly Thai franchise.

I ordered the vegetarian hot and sour soup. It was fabulous. The portion was OK for $6.95 but the flavour, and the consistency of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and tofu and the broth made it wonderful. I truly hope it was really vegetarian. For my entree, I ordered the coconut cashew stir fry with tofu vegetables, in a VERY salty coconut sauce with pieces of sauteed tofu. It was very good, saucy, but very salty. Wendy ordered the Thai basil chicken which she thought was thoroughly yummy. Faline ordered the Thai salmon with noodles and vegetables. Daniel ordered the Green Curry Beef dish. He felt that the curry sauce base was great, but the meat was over cooked and rather chewy. The spring roll appetizers were excellent.

Entrees are from $7.95-$10.95. Appetizers are about $5.95-$7.95.Some appetizers include the spring rolls ($3.95), fresh salad rolls ($5.95), Thai calamari ($6.95), spicy thai mussels ($8.95), satay (skewers of beef, chicken, or tofu) ($3.95/$.95/$5.95), coconut shrimp ($11.95), and Thai chicken wings ($7.95)

Soups include the Hot and Sour soup ($6.95), Coconut Chicken ($6.95), Thai mushroom ($5.95), and Lemon shrimp ($7.95). Salads include the Urban Thai Green ($5.95), Spicy Shrimp ($8.95), Green Mango ($7.95), Chili Beef ($7.95).

Pasta dishes include the typical Pad Thai ($8.95-$12.95) depends on ingrediants. You can choose from vegetarian, chicken, seafood, or a chicken/vegetarian curry Pad Thai, Urban Spicy Thai Noodles, and Glass Noodles (both $9.95)

Rice dishes include the Vegetarian, Urban Thai fried rice, Shrimp Olive, Pineapple Fried, Coconut Rice, Fragrant Sticky, and Jasmine between $1.50-$9.95

Beef dishes include Beef with Oyster Sauce, Mango Red Beef Curry, Green Curry beef, Urban Thai Basil Beef, and Grilled Thai Steak (all $11.95). Most of the menu seems to be chicken. Dishes include the Thai Grilled Chicken, Ginger Chicken, Thai Mango Chicken, Red Curry Chicken, Green Curry Chicken, Golden Curry Chicken, Lemongrass Chicken, Savoury Cashew Chicken, and Thai Basil Chicken (all $9.95-$12.95). They all come with an assortment of stir fried vegetables.

Seafood includes the Garlic Pepper Shrimp, Crispy Shrimp with Lychee, Pineapple Red Curry Shrimp, Golden Curry Shrimp, Ginger-Tamarind Fish, and lastly the Seafood combination ($17.95). Most seafood dishes are $12.95-$14.95. Lamb includes the Thai Ginger Lamb, Red Curry Lamb, and Garlic Pepper Lamb (all $12.95).

Vegetarian dishes include the Thai Eggplant ($7.95), the cliche Vegetarian curry ($8.95), Lychee Lemongrass Tofu ($8.95), Tofu Goreng ($8.95), Coconut Cachew Tofu and Vegetables ($9.95), Urban Mango Tofu ($9.95), and the Avocado Peanut Stir Fry ($9.95). I ordered the Avocado Peanut Stir Fry at Just Thai a few months ago and it was fabulous.

As with many Thai restaurants, there are a few Malaysian dishes. The most economically valuable includes the Satay Combo which I’ve had several times at Diners Thai on the Danforth and The Friendly Thai on Queen West and Yonge street. The Satay Plate is HUGE. It includes 4 skewers of spicy meat, tofu, and seafood served with stir fried vegetables and peanut sauce. The dish is VERY affordable as it is a complete meal. It comes with steamed rice, grilled pita, or roti ($9.95-$12.95). Lastly there are 4 Malaysian curries to try (Chicken, Beef, Shrimp, or Lamb)for $10.95 – $11.95.

Service and presentation is really nice and wait time is not too long. Food is made to order. They accept every card