Bellingham's Thai House

I love Thai food. There's nothing like spicy hot and sour soup when you're feeling a little under the weather; or spicy Phad Thai noodles with the sweet heat of those little hot peppers and peanut sauce, set off with tangy fresh lime. When you find a good place for Thai food, you find yourself oddly committed to that place. You return again and again. When you have to move away, it's almost like a break up. I missed my favorite Thai place even more than I missed the woman who has cut my hair for the last three years.

So after moving to Bellingham last winter, I made a mental note for myself to try out a couple of the local Thai places and hopefully find a new favorite local place for Thai take-out food, mostly so I'd have a back-up plan if I caught a head-cold. I just hadn't quite gotten around to tracking down my new favorite Thai restaurant, yet. I was still mourning the loss of my old favorite place, I suppose—but I just couldn't seem to get motivated to get out and look around, in spite of being reliably informed there's no shortage of decent Thai food in the Bellingham area.

Then last week, I found exactly the place I've been afraid to go looking for: Bellingham's Thai House, in a tiny little strip mall behind a local Denny's on Telegraph Road, off of Meridian. If you don't already sort of know where the Thai House is, it can be easy to miss tucked away in that tiny mall and blocked by the Denny's; but I already had an idea where I was going and had a passenger willing to play lookout.

Within seconds of walking in, we were amiably waved to seat ourselves—which we did, in a diner-style booth on the wall, beneath several framed brush-and-ink Pacific Rim style prints, hanging along the wall. The smells from the kitchen were tantalizing and savory. Within a moment or two, our waitperson turned up with menus, water glasses, and a cheery grin.

The crisp spring rolls served with savory homemade sauce, the excellent Massamun curry, the spicy beef Phad Thai, the heated sake, all worked together to create both a lovely meal and a pleasant experience on a blustery gray Northwest afternoon. I'm already looking forward to a return trip.

The Thai House has been chosen one of Northwest Washington's Best Places nearly every year since opening a decade ago, and I can definitely see why; the food is terrific, the decor is cheerfully cheesy, and the staff is extraordinarily friendly, helpful, and warm.

A little bit of time spent on the internet brings up a wealth of positive reviews from Thai House regulars, and my own visit definitely confirmed their enthusiasm. Finding the Thai House was a bit like a tiny miracle. Terrific food, the most amazing coconut ice cream I've ever tasted, a warm atmosphere, and a terrific waitperson all helped seal the deal for me.

I'm a new Thai House regular.