Published September 18, 2021

My favorite Thai restaurant closed in 2020. Over the past year, it was unclear if a new business bought the space.

However, I recently found that the new Thai Corner Bistro was open for business. I ordered takeout to start, and after a fantastic meal, I decided to visit in-person with photographer Megan Martinelli to see the new business.

Thai Corner Bistro Interior

I was amazed at the updates to the interior of the old Khao Tip, now Thai Corner Bistro. The space felt airy, clean, and modern. Graphic prints of Thai dishes hung around the dining room.

New string lights hung from the ceiling — reminding me of Cucina 347’s dining room. The floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto Hamburg Turnpike brightened the space with natural light.

In the back of the room, the original archway was widened to reveal the second dining room with large tables. Between the two dining rooms, I would say around ~40+ people could sit. The front dining room had tables for two and four people (and one table for six), while the back dining room had tables for larger groups.

Thai Corner Bistro Menu

We sat at a two-top table on the far end of the room, closest to the wall.

Like most restaurants since the start of the pandemic, Thai Corner Bistro offered a plastic QR code for the menu in the center of every table. Little glass jars of purple flowers decorated each table. The silverware for each setting sat in brown paper sleeves.

We scanned the app and pulled up the digital menu.

The menu was broken out into lunch specials, then appetizers, soups, curries, wok dishes, salads, and sides. Behind me on the main wall, a change-letter board featured specialty appetizers, drinks, and desserts.

Drinks

We started with drinks. I ordered my favorite Thai iced tea. Megan ordered the Butterfly Pea Lemonade.  

Thai Iced Tea | $3.00

Both drinks arrived in a mason-jar style cup with a handle. I love the way the glasses looked.

Unlike other Thai restaurants I’ve been to, this Thai iced tea was already stirred to combine the black tea and condensed milk into a bright orange color.

The flavor was perfect — not too sweet and nice and cold.

Butterfly Pea Lemonade | $3.00

I’ve never heard of this drink before, so we weren’t sure what to expect of the flavor.

After some research, I found that “Butterfly Pea” is the flower used to brew tea that is vibrantly blue. It is usually combined with lime, Sprite, and sweetener to create a refreshing drink.

I can attest to the unique flavor of this drink. The Butterfly Pea tea flavor was subtle and earthy. The drink was bubbly and bright from the citrus flavor. The combination of colors made for a beautiful photograph. We would both order these drinks again.

Appetizers

I was thrilled to see the long list of appetizers. Appetizers are my favorite part of the meal, where you could try a variety of dishes and flavors. My sister and I agreed upon one appetizer and each picked our favorite from the menu.

Bao Buns | $9.00

We both agreed to try the Bao Buns, having enjoyed them when we went for ramen.

Three buns arrived in a steamer. They were filled with braised pork belly, pickled carrot, pickled daikon, and shredded pickled cabbage, topped with cilantro and crushed peanuts. We both pickled off the jalapeño pieces that sat on top.

The buns themselves are so fluffy and tender. The braised pork belly was cubed and lightly coated in a sauce. The fresh veggies added some crunch, as did the peanuts.

Curry Puffs | $7.00

The second appetizer was my selection, not because curry puffs were new to me, but because they’re my favorite.

These curry puffs were packed with flavor. The filling is potato, carrot, peas, corn, and curry powder. A small container of cucumber sauce added a freshness to the dish.

The outer shell is divine — crisp and light, this appetizer has all of the textures and flavors you would want.

Tuk Tuk Ribs | $10.00

My sister picked this appetizer. I’m always hesitant to order ribs unless they’ve been recommended by someone, but we decided to take a gamble and try them anyway.

Y’all, I was not expecting these ribs. They were amazing.

First, they were huge! We thought they would be miniature finger foods, but these were like a whole entree. I couldn’t believe it.

The meat was tender and juicy. The fat on the ribs rendered down into a buttery texture. A light hoisin sauce brushed across the outside of the meat added some extra flavor. A small side of pickled vegetables added a break between the hearty bites of meat.

I would absolutely order these again, especially as there would be more than enough to share with a group, considering their size.

Entrees

The appetizers, especially the ribs, were fillings so we ordered one entree to share.

If you’ve been to this blog before, then you know I don’t enjoy spicy foods. Which is ironic considering we went to a Thai restaurant for dinner. Thus, since this was a new restaurant, we weren’t sure if their spice scale on their menu was accurate.

In the past, I had ordered Drunken Noodles (which showed 1-2 on the chili peppers scale), and it was completely fine for me to eat. So we were nervous that on this menu, it could be spicier than we were prepared for.

I was that guy, when I asked the waitress if she could make the Drunken Noodles less spicy. She made a note on her ticket and put the entree in for us.

At this point in the early evening, the restaurant was still quiet. A table of 8 took the large table in the back of the room. They were adult couples and shared wine and talked loudly. A few walk-ins for takeout came in. The man behind the hostess counter took a few phone orders.

(Pad Kee Mao) Drunken Noodles with Chicken | $14.00

The Drunken Noodles arrived on a large plate. If you’ve never had this dish before, it is flat rice noodles with onions, string beans, red bell pepper, bamboo shoots, baby corn, and Thai basil, in a spicy chili sauce.

We each tried a noodle first to see how spicy the dish was and it was as we’ve had in the past! I was relieved that the dish wasn’t too spicy. I saw on our receipt that this was “mild” — so it was helpful for me to know that mild is my ideal spice level.

The textures in this dish are great. We had lots of chicken and tons of veggies. We split the entree and took a portion home.

Dessert

You know I couldn’t leave without trying dessert! The waitress was shocked we could eat another bite.

At this point, the entrees arrived for the table in the back who shared them family-style. A young high school couple joined us two tables over and scanned their menu to read. We packaged our own Drunken Noodles at the table and handed off the plates to our waitress.

Thai Tea Creme Brûlée | $8.00

When I saw this dessert on the specials board I knew I had to try it.

The Thai Tea Creme Brûlée reminded me of butterscotch or caramel. It had a rich buttery taste with the subtle tea aftertaste. The crust on top was delicate and the filling was rich.

I thought this was a fair portion given the size of the ramekin. The fresh berries and mint were a tasty addition as well.

Chocolate Lava Cake | $7.00

My sister ordered the chocolate lava cake, which is what I would’ve ordered had I not seen the creme brûlée.

I thought that the chocolate lava cake was small. However, it did have a molten center, which is key to a decent lava cake.

I think the star of the dish was the fresh vanilla ice cream which was a giant scoop to accompany the lava cake.

My Recommendations

Overall, my visit to Thai Corner Bistro was a 10/10 for the following:

• Decor and Design

  • The updated design and branding of Thai Corner Bistro is beautiful. The space feels modern and clean, with small touches of warmth — from the table setting to the hostess counter. The Thai Corner website and social media also gives you an idea of the brand and business.

• Service

  • Our waitress was nice and attentive. She worked the whole dining room, prepping tables for service, attending to the large party in the back, and us.

• Food

  • The food at Thai Corner Bistro was amazing. The plating and attention to detail made the dining experience even more special (and inline with the brand). I love everything we ordered and would happily return to try new items on their menu.

Have you been to Thai Corner Bistro?

Do you have another Thai restaurant you think I should try? Tell me about it below in the comments!