The price of a good Thai meal can range from a couple hundred NT dollars to a few thousand depending on where you go. Although the best finds are often small vendors, this time it was at one of four franchise eateries that I discovered tasty, authentic Thai cuisine.
Bird Taipei has four locations: Core Pacific, Taipei 101, Taoyuan and its latest branch in Tianmu. Hidden away on a small lane off of Zhongshan North Road, it would be easy to miss the Tianmu house that has been remodeled to into a modern Thai cafe and shisha [water pipe] bar. The restaurant's popularity is well deserved and although it isn't the cheapest place to find Thai fare it does offer good-sized and well-spiced portions.
There is a NT$180 minimum charge per person, but that's not much of an issue considering most dishes start at NT$250. The vegetarian papaya salad and pad thai (fried rice noodles) were flavorful even without the traditional fish paste or fresh shrimp. The pad thai was made with tamarind sauce and Thai tofu rather then the dried bean curd (豆干) that is often used in other Thai restaurants.
Those in my group eating meat opted for satay chicken and spicy laab salad, both of which were said to be superb. Before the satay chicken is grilled, it is marinated in coconut milk and curry for flavor and to keep the meat tender. It is served with small dishes of peanut sauce and chilies for dipping. The laab salad was made with chicken stewed in coconut milk then minced and mixed together with green chilies and lime. The dish comes with lettuce leaves and spices for individual wrapping.
The inevitable question at our table was, ``Who is cooking all these dishes?'' and the manager confirmed that the chef hails from Thailand. The staff claimed that he does not alter any of the dishes to cater to Taiwanese tastes, yet there were a few ingredients missing. Bay leaf was not added to the green curry and there was a lack of lime in the pad thai, papaya and laab salads, which left them with only a faint citrus flavor. Overall the food was excellent, however, and nothing went uneaten in the end.
As an alternative to dessert you might want to smoke a bowl of flavored tobacco from the shisha water pipe. There are 11 flavors to choose from with prices from NT$500 to NT$700, and they can be shared among three or four people.
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