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Update Jul. 2020: Thai Delight is now at normal operation with the dining room open. This is subject to any Health Department mandates including use of masks, spacing of customers in the dining room, etc. During the health emergency they were doing delivery and they plan to continue it afterward (they do the delivery themselves). There is one delivery price for anything up to five miles from the restaurant, and a higher price for delivery from five to seven miles. They indicated to me that during the Corona virus emergency they would be willing to go farther than seven miles but I do not know the details of this or whether this policy will be continued.

In 2016 I had what I thought was my best lunch experience of the year at Thai Delight, and this is what has made me determined to return whenever possible (it was the fresh ginger that made this memorable first impression). Thai food ranks high among my favorite cuisines, so this had something to do with it. However, not everyone does Thai food this well, and gives the service and ambiance to complement the food.

The former Thai Palace in Edmond was my favorite Thai restaurant in the OKC metro until it closed, and this has served as my standard for comparing other Thai restaurants. Thai Delight certainly hits many of the same marks, particularly in serving food that tastes authentic to me.

I find that I need to break down the menu, though, into the categories of curries and stir-fried dishes. Thai Delight has separate cooks that specialize in these two types of food, and I have great respect for a restaurant that will provide chefs with this kind of expertise. Personally I especially like the stir-fried dishes here when compared to the ones I get at some other restaurants.

Thai Delight also has a sushi menu which I have not tried, and I cannot comment about the food. I know that the Thai food cooks are from Thailand, though, and this is evident by the flavor and the complexity of food they serve.

The restaurant is located in a shopping complex at the southwest corner of 33rd St. and Broadway in Edmond. I would call the complex upscale, but for some reason they have raised the level of all the stores up a half flight of stairs. After several visits to this restaurant and Pho Bulous next door (as well as an Indian restaurant which used to be in the same center) I finally found a ramp on the north side of the building to give access to anyone who does not want to use the stairs. It is located at the north end of Charleston’s Restaurant (at the opposite end to Thai Delight) but it will work for getting to all the businesses in the center.

Fresh Ginger

Thai Delight has quite a good selection of items on the lunch menu, including Fresh Ginger. This was the dish I tried on my first visit, and it remains probably my favorite item at the restaurant. Some notable features of the fresh ginger were a vibrant flavor and the fact that it was not too sweet. The ginger was strong but well balanced by the sauce and the other ingredients. All of my orders have been with tofu, which is usually my preference and which also allows me to compare this dish with countless ones I have had in Seattle and other cities.

Basil

Spicy Basil (listed as Basil on the to-go menu) at first did not wow me, but I asked for spicy fish sauce (prik nam pla) which raised the dish to one of the best I have had in the Oklahoma City area. This indicated that it had a very good underlying flavor but it just needed to be spicier (the dish comes at a default 3-star spice level but the waitress suggested that next time I should order it at 4 or 5). The waitress said it was already made with fish sauce but what I added just intensified the flavor. Note: I got a takeout version on a later visit that was spicier to just about the right level, a result of my learning curve and knowing to ask for it this way.

The vegetables on this dish were fresh and a little crunchy. Ingredients such as the carrots and green beans actually had a good flavor (not something I say often about carrots or green beans if they are still on the crunchy side).

Spicy Bamboo with Chicken

For some reason they serve Spicy Bamboo with Chicken on both the lunch and dinner menus, but there are no other choices of meat to order with it. This comes with a red curry paste that I wanted to try, but I was not overly impressed with it. This does not mean the dish was disappointing, because it was a treat to have a dish with this quantity of bamboo shoots. Like most dishes here, it seemed to have an explosion of flavors because of the different ingredients that were used. In a way, though, it was almost overpowered by the large quantity of chicken (but this certainly does not seem to be a bad thing). This is definitely one of the more filling lunches I have had at a Thai restaurant, and I imagine the dinner portion would be too much for me to eat at one sitting.

Kao Soi

I first tried Kao Soi at Thai Delight’s sister restaurant, Sushi-Thai Delight on Interstate 35 near the 15th Street exit in Edmond. This became one of my favorite items at Thai Delight, and I have ordered it several times since then (including a take-out order where I had to add the vegetables and crispy noodles at the time when I ate it).

They told me this was a dish from northern Thailand (in fact the yellow curry reminded me of ones I had eaten in Lao restaurants). The chef is not shy about making the curry spicy, and I definitely recommend ordering some Thai iced tea with it (for me Thai tea is the default drink with any Thai food).

One interesting feature of this dish is that it has soft noodles cooked in the curry as well as crispy noodles sprinkled on top. There are quite a few vegetables added–I did not realize how many until I got a take-home order where I had to add the vegetables at the time I served it.

Of the several times I have eaten this dish, though, my favorite one was at the restaurant on Interstate 35 (Sushi Thai Delight). This could be for a number of reasons, but I would definitely suggest trying out Sushi Thai Delight as well.

Pad Thai

The Pad Thai had a good flavor, although even when done the right way (as it is here) I think this is considered to be a street food and does not have the vibrant flavor that is found in the curries and other dishes. Also, though, I think Thai people do not want to eat spicy food all the time, and this is a good change of pace. One of my tests for pad thai is that it is not too sweet, and the one here passed the test. One thing I thought was incorrect is that they did not bring me lime wedges, and I had to ask for them (and to me this completed the flavor combination that it needed).

Salad

The Salad was also very good, but even better because it was free. I found the ginger dressing to have a good flavor, but you can also choose the regular dressing or get one of the two soups that are available (but I do not have a list of these).

A spring roll also comes with the lunch special (and this was one of the better spring rolls I have had).

Thai Tea
I tend to put Thai tea into one of two categories–ones I like and ones that are disappointing. The one here was the former, so I was happy. However, I would also say that it was better than most.

Lunch
Thai Delight has 17 lunch specials for $7.95 (as of 2020), and there is a wide choice of items including basil, curry, cashew, ginger, eggplant, broccoli, and pad thai (each has a choice of chicken, beef, pork, tofu, or veggie).  Some lunch items are more expensive, including some fish choices for $8.95 and duck for $11.95. The dinner menu has a larger portion and there are more menu choices, but there is no difference in the way items are prepared that are on both the lunch and dinner menus. Lunch includes a free salad and spring roll.

Japanese box lunch and sushi specials are also available for lunch.

Dinner
The Thai menu is slightly more expensive for the dinner items, but it includes additional types of curry not available at lunch such as Panang, Massaman, and pineapple curry.

The bulk of the Japanese menu seems to be sushi, but it is mostly rolls with a small selection of a la carte sushi/sashimi. There are also Japanese dinners such as tempura, katsu, and teriyaki.

Other Details
The restaurant does not use MSG, but the employees said there might be some in the soy sauce and other sauces they import from Asia. I have not experienced any noticeable levels of MSG in the food.

The dining room was very large and comfortable (this is not the main reason I find this restaurant to be an enjoyable experience but it is an important part of it).

The service at lunch seems to be highly efficient for getting orders out quickly.

I was able to have some good conversations and ask some questions to the staff after the lunch crowd died down. One of the things I learned is that Thai cooks prepare the Thai food (one person for the curries and one for the stir fried dishes). The style of the food is from the Bangkok area, but the kao soi (egg noodles with yellow curry) is northern style. The bamboo chicken has a chile paste which is not made with coconut milk, and is this restaurant’s version of pad prik khing sauce.

I would give the tip to others that for many dishes the prik nam pla (spicy fish sauce) condiment they will give you on request seems to provide added flavor or to bring out the flavor that is already there (depending on which way you look at it). I also think it is a better way to provide additional spice to many of the stir-fried dishes than using chile powder or chile paste.

I originally thought the Thai Delight in Norman was another location of this one, however I found out that it is owned by the same extended family but does not necessarily have the same food.

Takeout

I have tried several items for takeout that I also ate in the restaurant, and have been happy with the result. The Fresh Ginger had the same flavor and impressed me every bit as much as the dine-in version. The one pictured was the dinner size, and was enough for two meals at home (the substantial portion of rice that comes with it makes this possible).

The takeout meal of Spicy Basil was also excellent, and in fact seemed to be better than the restaurant version (I asked for this one to be spicier than their default level). This was also a dinner portion, and was enough for two meals for me. Like the ginger dish you can have a choice of meats, and I usually choose tofu on the stir fried dishes.

As I mentioned earlier I also tried a take-home version of Kao Soi. This one was interesting because you have to construct it yourself (you add the vegetables to the curry and put the crispy noodles on top when it is ready to serve).

The Panang Curry is something I have only had for takeout, but it has a vibrant flavor that stands up well to being taken home. It is not as spicy as the kao soi, and overall I enjoyed the dish very much.

Pad Prik King is one of my favorite Thai dishes, and I thought the one here probably had the best sauce ever. The word khing means ginger, and I thought this dish had a good amount to give it a strong ginger flavor without being overwhelming. The sauce was thin, and this is in keeping with the traditional description I have heard for pad prik khing–curry without the coconut milk (thus it is thinner than regular curry). This is definitely one of my favorites at Thai Delight.

Conclusions
The Thai food here is the real deal, although they do not have the massive menu that I found at the former Thai Palace and some other restaurants.

My favorite dishes here have been from the stir-fried menu, but the curry dishes are good as well. Everything I have tried has been among the highest quality Thai food I have had in the Oklahoma City area.

I have made one visit to Sushi Thai Delight as well (925 W. I-35 Frontage Road #116 in Edmond). Here it was a curry dish that was really impressive, and I would say try this restaurant as well if you get the chance.

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RATING: 26