Hanuman Thai Eatery

On our first visit to Hanuman Thai Eatery years ago, we made the mistake of ordering the same ‘must try’ items recommended in reviews – and weren’t blown away. While we were wowed by the presentation – its “elevated Thai” dishes practically burst with colors and textures that scream “try me” – each item we ordered was OK to good, with none rating great and too many feeling like poor values for their prices. But when we revisited their second location, everything was excellent: No matter how Americanized their specialties (fried chicken, ceviche) sounded, their appeal went beyond presentation, and we were pleased with the portion sizes for almost everything.

Hanuman’s Gai Todd Hat Yai fried chicken with sticky rice initially struck us as no more than the sum of those parts – though the chicken was nicely crispy – yet was much stronger in flavor on our return visit. Originally, a yellowtail ceviche priced at $20 was gorgeously presented but barely enough for three people to have more than a couple of bites each, while other items (pork larb salad, beef crying tiger, and khao soi curry) were essentially identical to versions served elsewhere with less fancy plating and larger portions.