5 local Thai restaurants went head-to-head. Here’s who won

Five Thai restaurants battled it out for culinary supremacy, and we’ve got the pictures to prove it. But be warned: they’re definitely drool-worthy

Thai food lovers from across Vancouver gathered on May 9 at SalaThai’s sold-out event, Taste of Thailand, to eat, drink, and ultimately vote on their favourite dish. Narrowly winning by just one vote, SalaThai took the honour of winning the first annual Taste of Thailand cup. Sipping on Singha beer and Montakarn wine from the Okanagan, guests sampled dishes from SalaThai’s chef Eddie along with dishes from Sawasdee, Ban Chok Dee Thai, U & I Thai, and Soi Gaow Market, which hasn’t opened yet to the public.The event, which was emceed by Vancouver Magazine editor-in-chief Max Fawcett, saw guests treated to intricate performances by traditional Thai dancers and beautiful, Instagram-worthy Thai fruit carvings. After tasting all of the dishes, guests cast their ballots to choose the winner. There were crunchy noodles topped with a banana blossom avocado mixture, curried rice balls, larb goong croquettes with minced prawns, and more (and not a thimble of pad thai, either). But in the end, it was SalaThai’s Southern Thai style curry short ribs with rainbow rice that proved to be the audience favourite.Another winner from the evening was food blogger Bethany Ho for the best Instagram photo of the night, earning her a gift card to SalaThai. Her colourful photo of Sawasdee’s larb goong on her account @bitesofVancouver is good enough to make your stomach rumble. For more mouth watering photos, check out the event hashtag #tasteofthailand.