Yupha"s Thai Kitchen

Yupha’s Thai Kitchen
1806 E. Elliot Road
Tempe, 85284

I have eaten Thai food in many different places both in and outside of Arizona, but this place is either at the top or almost at the top of Thai places to eat. I was joined by two companions for dinner. I started out with the Thai rolls ($4.95). Beautifully crispy spring rolls served with a nice sweet chili sauce. Companions both agreed that these were really good.

Companion #1 ordered Pad Prik Khing, which was chicken sautéed in house curry paste with string beans, bell peppers and lime leaves. Companion was concerned about how spicy the food might be, but the cook made it to companions order and it was pronounced perfect. Companion completely finished the plate. Companion #2 ordered Scallop Gra Prow, which was sautéed scallops with onion, bell pepper, Thai basil and Thai chili pepper. Companion liked the food on the spicy side, and the chef was happy to comply. Companion completely finished the plate.

I ordered Ped Khing Sod – crispy roast duck with ginger, mushroom, onion, celery, bell pepper, ground pork and bean sauce. The duck was fresh and cooked to perfection. I loved the sauce, and the veggies were properly crisp and cut into nice, mouth sized portions. Both companion #1 and I ordered Thai tea, which is almost a necessity for removing the heat if it gets to be too much. I ordered my duck at medium heat, and next time I will order it at the hot level because I didn’t find it to be nearly hot enough for me, but then again, it’s a matter of individual taste.

About the only thing I didn’t really care for was the rice that was served with the dinner. It seemed to be overcooked and not at all like a good rice should be in texture.

We all decided to have dessert. Companion #1 had a concoction of grapefruit with a coconut macaroon, which was pronounced quite good. Companion #2 had flaming fried ice cream, which was a whole world of difference from what is usually served as fried ice cream in other places. The batter was a totally different but excellent texture, and the waitress lit a cruet of rum on fire at the table and them properly poured it over the fried ice cream. Not only was the presentation nice, but the taste and texture were pronounced excellent. For my dessert I ordered Crème Brulèe, which is not usually on the menu but is a special for this month. I’ve eaten this dessert across the states, and it is usually good, but in this case, it was outstanding. The crème was silky smooth and wonderfully thick with a not too thick layer of burnt sugar on top.

The place is nicely clean and the restrooms could be a model for a lot of other places – clean, fresh, and nicely appointed. This is easily the best Thai restaurant in the valley, and matches or bests other places I’ve eaten at across the states. 5 stars for quality of food, cleanliness, service and ambiance.