Tag: panang curry

Food Review: The Hybrid Kitchen in Maumelle

The Hybrid Kitchen has been open almost a year and has been a wonderful addition to Maumelle, giving me access to unique Thai and Asian fusion cuisine we can’t get anywhere else. I’ve been there about four times, all for take-out. Now that I have tried more than just the panang curry (which I had to get over and over), I feel qualified to write a review finally.

Located near the Walmart Supercenter, in the shopping center with Casa Mañana, at 13120 Crystall Hill Rd. You can eat indoors, but it is very small. With the Covid situation, I’ve just been doing take-out. They are always timely and will do curb-side if you call once you arrive.

The Menu

While The Hybrid Kitchen has its own site, the menu is vastly more updated here on their Facebook Menu page. The menu is large and everything sounds SO good. they have appetizers, like a public favorite the cheeseburger eggrolls.

For main courses, they have many different fried rice dishes, like the Secret Bowl, which is their fried rice topped with korean bulgogi beef. I have to try this! They have ramen, pho, panang curry (my favorite), pad thai, street tacos, steamed bao buns, burritos, and a croissant burger. Whew, that’s a list!

Not mentioned on the menu are their fruit, milk, and boba teas. Finally, they are known for sweets as well, especially their homemade macarons and cupcakes. All of their teas and sweets come in many flavors and the sweets are always changing. Once they had fruity pebble macarons!

Occassionally, they will post a special on their FB page. For example, they used to have an amazing papaya salad. I had it three times, but this previous time, they said that will no longer be available anymore. I am so upset about this!

The Food

Panang Curry: $8.99
Description: Coconut and red curry based soup filled with marinated chicken, red bell peppers, kaffer leaves, bamboo shoots, and fresh basil. Served with a side of jasmine rice.

Honestly, I got the panang chicken curry the first time there. It was the best panang curry I have had, so I didn’t try anything else for a few trips. So unprofessional for a food blogger, right? It is that good! Full of chicken, and many vegetables, this creamy, spicy soup is perfection. It doesn’t look big, but this meal goes far. This is a great deal for authentic curry for only 9 bucks!

Pad Thai: $8.99
Description: Stir-fry noodle dish that is sweet, spicy, tangy, and flavorful. Filled with thin noodles, eggs, choice of meat (chicken, shrimp, or combo), peanuts, bean sprouts, carrots, fresh basil, onions, green onions, and cilantro.

This was a massive amount of food for $9! The bowl was very tall, so the photo does not do it justice. there is over half of it left in my fridge now. This is a great pad thai full of plenty of egg, onions, veggies, chicken. I love how the noodles are the only star of the show here. However, I did find it a little bland. Simply adding sriracha and a little soy sauce bumped its game right to where I like it. I can’t wait to eat these leftovers!

Korean BBQ Street Tacos: $7.99
Description: Marinated beef bulgogi style overnight. Four (or five on Taco Tuesdays) warm flour or corn tortillas filled with beef and garnished with onions, green onions, and cilantro. Also comes in spicy bbq or por bbq.

I got these only because it was Taco Tuesday and they throw you in a free taco! I got he corn tortillas. While they were tiny, they were full of beef and topped with plenty of onions and cilantro. The lime added the necessary brightness to really appreciate all of the flavor. While these were good, I probably won’t get them again because everything else so far I have liked a lot more. But if you love street tacos, these are a delicious take on them with an Korean twist!

At this point, this is all I have tried, besides the papaya salad I had gotten three times that is no longer there. In in remembrance, here is a photo. You will be missed!

Overall

I am so happy to have such unique food in Maumelle that is truly delicious! I love just running by and picking up an affordable, authentic meal any day of the week. The only thing that could improve is if their menus/ specials were updated on their FB page (or their site) more often. I know a social media presence is so important for new restaurants, so posting at least weekly with any new or missing items or specials would help everyone when ordering and also get the word out more about this awesome place!

Food Review: Chang Thai in Sherwood

I have heard from only two friends about this place, and they love it. However, I hardly ever go to Sherwood. One Friday night we decided to finally try it, and I’m glad we did. Here’s the breakdown:

Environment

Chang Thai is located on Hwy 107 in a small shopping center.

It is certainly nothing fancy, but it large enough to seat quite a crowd. Our waitress was very nice and knowledgeable about the food, which is always a plus.

The Menu

Their menu is quite expansive, with everything playing within the Thai category. However, many items were given unique twists. For example, you can get regular Pad Thai here OR an egg-wrapped Pad Thai…I’m going to have to try that one day. Everything sounds so delicious, it was very hard to narrow it down, so I tried not to go too narrow.

You can find their menu HERE on their Facebook page.

The Food

What I wanted to try was the Meing Kham. With a picture of 5 large spoons filled with large bite-size servings, it includes ginger, coconut, cashews, shallots, and lime wrapped in a Betel nut leaf with a tamarind coconut sauce.
Right?! I was so excited. But no, it is “seasonal” and they didn’t have it. So, I guess I’ll return in the summer?

Sesame Balls (8) $3.75
Description: Deep fried glutinous rice balls with sweetened red bean paste filling.
Our table of four shared these three appetizers. I love sesame balls, but if you have never had them, they are really sweet (even though red bean paste doesn’t sound like it) and a dense, but soft texture with a little crunch and nuttiness on the outside from the sesame seeds. They are great! These could have been cooked a little longer for me, but I like everything but steaks cooked longer than most people. 

Por-Pia Sod, Fresh Spring Rolls (2) $3.75
Description: Fresh organic baby spinach, shrimp, fresh basil, and shredded carrots, rolled in rice paper and served with tangy peanut sauce.
This was the most impressive appetizer to me. It was extremely fresh and bursted full of flavor. I will definitely get these again.

Tao Hoo Tod $5.00
Description: Crispy fried tofu served with sweet and sour sauce with crushed peanuts.
I love fried tofu and this one was cooked a little longer than other places where I’ve had the dish. I loved it this way, but most would consider it too dry and crunchy. There was no flavor in the tofu and I love it when they marinate the tofu first to give it some taste. But it was still tasty dipped in the sauce.

 

Small Tom Kha (Galanga Coconut Soup)
Description: Aromatic herb soup with coconut milk, galangai, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, mushrooms, onions, and fresh lime juice

Wow! Hands down, my favorite Tom Kha. I had options to order with chicken, vegetables, or tofu. I decided to try the veggie option and I’m so glad I did. Besides the normal veggies that already come in it, there was a ton of others: broccoli, carrots, extra mushrooms, etc. They were fresh and cooked perfectly in the soup, so they still had good chew.
But that broth! It was thicker than any other version I have tried. It was flavored perfectly (I ordered it a medium heat ,5/10) which ended up being spicier than most versions I have had, which are hardly spiced at all. It was still sweet and rich, so the heat matched it perfectly.
*They asked if i wanted the small or large, even though the small is not listed on the menu. So, I am not sure how much this costs. But the large is $9.

 

Yum Neua (Thai Beef Salad) $9.00
Description: Grilled beef mixed with Chang’s chili-lime dressing, red onion, tomato, scallions, and cilantro.

This was the most disappointing dish. If you read my blog, you know I am a huge fan of Thai beef salads, and I have had many by now. This one is undoubtedly my least favorite.
The only lettuce is thick cut romaine. The beef was overcooked and hard to chew. And I ordered it at a 5/10 spice, and that was too spicy for me. It was good, but after a few bites, I had to break for Panang to cool off.

 

Panang Curry $9.00
Description: Panang curry cooked with rich coconut milk, ground peanuts, bell pepper, and basil.

What a steal! With the curries only being $9 for chicken or pork, I figured they would be smaller portions. Nope! This came in a huge bowl with a ton of sliced pork. The pork was tender (which can be an issue at other places) and the panang was delicious! It was peanut-y just like I like it. We ordered this one’s heat 3/10 (which the waitress said was a “medium” to most people that aren’t of the Thai culture) and that was just right. Just a  kick, but didn’t start hurting you after a few bites.

Pad Thai $9.00
Description: Rice noodles stir-fried with eggs, bean sprouts, scallions, crushed peanuts, and homemade sauce. Garnished with fresh bean sprouts and lime wedge.

I didn’t try this one, but it was pretty! And our friends said it was good.

 

Overall

I love the prices and portion sizes and I had some of the best versions of Thai food here, and one of the worst.