Salad King
335 Yonge Street
416-971-7041
Lunch for two plus appetizer, tax, and tip: $21

With all of two salads on its menu, Salad King doesn’t seem like a restaurant boasting the amazing Thai food it serves. Even the “Hot Thai Food” neon light above the doorway seems tiny in comparison, but I guess that’s their way of being modest. With both Salad King and Linda open upstairs, Salad King’s still always packed.

One thing I’ll never forget is the first time I returned to Hong Kong. The moment I stepped off the plane, a blast of hot air engulfed me whole. Walking into Salad King isn’t a harsh introduction to a warm new climate, but breathing in the smells has a similar effect. To me, that aroma is very welcoming; better to bask in it than complain about waiting in line, right? Besides, think about how hard the restaurant staff works to satiate the hunger pangs of endless customers. We can’t help but love them for it; despite the many times I’ve been squished into those jailhouse cafeteria benches, and despite the two servers who (so my friends and I believe) don’t like us.

Don’t get me wrong, the new contemporary design of Salad King works very nicely. People check out the décor and the peppers on the wall to avoid awkward glances resulting from odd conversational tidbits from people squished next to them. Unless they have the luxury of sitting at the rear of the restaurant, where backless black boxy cushiony seats await them there. The little descriptions on the Spicy Scale and the chilli peppers on the walls taunt and dare you to add more heat (and sweat).

When it came time to order, I had a brief dilemma. Being limited to the veggie section of the menu makes things a bit restrictive. Before giving up omnivore status last year, the entire wondrous menu had been open for my consumption. Dishes like Chicken Satay ($4.75), Seafood Fried Rice ($7.95), or my absolute pre-veggie favourite, the Siam Noodles ($8.75) were out of my reach. I had a little crunchy life-saver, fortunately.

There are few instances where I neglect to order a plate of Salad King’s amazing Crispy Spring Rolls ($3.25), and this was no exception. They’re filled with strings of cabbage, carrots, rice vermicelli noodles, and bean sprouts, and served up fresh with a tangy sweet and sour vinegar-based dipping sauce. On top of that, I finally ordered the Vegetarian Kari Noodles ($7.25), while my friend had the Vegetarian Hot Thai Noodles ($7.25).

I hadn’t tried the Vegetarian Kari Noodles before, so I was extra excited. In the past I’ll admit having been let down before with some of the other dishes, so anxiety began to build. Service was really quick. I noticed the curry first and got excited, but as I studied the noodles for awhile (and fiddled for my camera) they looked a little rubbery on the whole. There was this sheen that made the whole mass of noodles seem like one big mould. The Hot Thai noodles looked the same way, albeit a bit more wholesome when compared with the colour of the yellow curry on mine.

Frankly I didn’t care; I figured taste would champion over looks and I was right. The stir-fried broccoli was slightly harder on the outside, but the inside was nice and soft. Red peppers and carrot slivers gave an extra little crunch. Crushed peanuts actually might’ve made it even better now that I think about it. The rice noodles were pretty soft, and the curry gave them just enough liquid to prevent clumpy noodles. I may have found a new favourite.

All right, so Salad King can get stuffy, the restaurant doesn’t seem to ever be directly bathed in sunlight, and prices have risen quite a bit since it first opened. But I can’t help it; I’m addicted to their food. Like many other people, I have to fight the urge to judge other Thai restaurants using Salad King as a standard. Oh I can’t help it. I know what I’m getting next time I go there, do you?