Porchai

In Wakefield, the hottest Thai restaurant is probably The Duck Walk. But it is not the only Thai restaurant. There is also Porchai, located only a short distance from The Duck Walk. I thought I would go for dinner and see how it measure up.

Porchai is a much smaller restaurant, with three small dining rooms on three different levels. It is more plainly decorated and does not have a bar. In fact, it does not have a liquor license. But, you can bring your own wine or beer and there is no corkage fee. That is a definite plus.

Their menu is fairly lengthy with a nice variety of available dishes. There are appetizers, soups, salads, noodle dishes, fried rice dishes, and many different entrees. Prices seem very reasonable (and usually much cheaper than Duck Walk). Entrees range from $10-$13 and their signature dishes range from $13-19. All very affordable. They have most of the usual Thai dishes as well as many more unique dishes. They even have a list of 19 lunch specials, all for $6-$7.

I started with an appetizer of Pot Stickers ($6), which were pan-fried chicken dumplings. You get four large dumplings. They were cooked just right, not being overly cooked. And they tasted very good. They were actually one of the better pot stickers that I have ever had. A nice start to my dinner.

I then ordered the Massaman Curry with Chicken ($11). This is one of my favorite Thai dishes and a good way to compare Porchai to other Thai restaurants. I received a large dish of food. There was plenty of chicken, thin pieces of cutlet, and pieces of sweet potato. The dish also has onions and peanuts. The sauce was very good, with a nice coconut flavor giving it a bit of a sweet flavor. You get either white or brown rice with this dish and I chose the rice. The only minor complaint is that some of the peanuts seemed to have been overcooked and had small almost burn marks on them. Overall though, this was a very good dish and I would order it again.

So, Porchai made a good impression on me. If you want a more affordable Thai meal, you should try Porchai. I am very interested in returning to try some of their Duck dishes such as the Siamese Ruby Duck.

Porchai
19 Centre St.
Wakefield, MA
Phone: (781) 213-9933