5 Reasons to Love Sen Pad Thai

Chef Angus An’s new noodle shop on Granville Island offers plenty of reasons to please.

“Your pad thai isn’t authentic?”

Angus An, chef-owner of five Thai eateries, including the award-winning Maenam, has heard it all before. But considering that his new Granville Island stall, Sen Pad Thai, specializes in Thailand’s favourite street food, it’s time to settle the debate and explain the many reasons why his stir-fried noodles are great.

1. Semi-dehydrated rice noodles imported from California don’t have to be pre-soaked, which often contributes to soggy clumps in lesser versions.

2. Each serving is individually wok-fried to order, not steamed in big batches, ensuring an even distribution of heat and no crunchy hard bits (unless you’ve specifically ordered the northern-style pad mi korat with crispy pork).

3. Contrary to popular perception, some regional variations—pad pu sen chan with crabmeat from Chanthaburi, for instance—are indeed tossed in red sauce. No, that’s not ketchup. It’s chili paste.

4. Speaking of sweet, good pad Thais such as these do have a touch of it to balance the sourness of tamarind pulp and the savoury pong of fish sauce.

5. In addition to five types of pad Thai, this surprisingly expansive menu features several renditions of delectably chewy pad siew and pad ki mao, all made with fresh, silky-thin rice sheets. (We highly recommend anything that comes with the lemony-peppery goodness of holy basil.) Which will be your favourite? Well, that’s a whole different hornet’s nest to untangle.

Sen Pad Thai7-1666 Johnston St.604-428-7900senpadthai.com