Sukhothai spices up Oakland

Sukhothai

416 Semple

Monday through Friday: 11 a.m. to 9… Sukhothai

416 Semple

Monday through Friday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday: 12 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Closed Sunday

(412) 621-5999

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There aren’t many places in Oakland to take a date. I’m not talking about a college date in which two friends who obviously want something more split a $5 pizza.

When I want to have a peaceful meal or catch up with an old friend, I’m going to venture out of the Forbes and Fifth magnetic field and head down to 416 Semple St. for a savory meal at Sukhothai.

Named after Thailand’s ancient capital, Sukhothai has an old-fashioned charm.

The menu consists of standard Thai food with staples like Pad Thai, Thai Beef Salad, Spicy Fried Rice, Tomyum soup and curries. Some of the appetizers are shrimp cakes, dumplings and chicken satay. And to be fair, I’ve never met a shrimp, dumpling or chicken satay in a restaurant that I didn’t like.

“Thai it,” beckons the back of the lunch menu. With no description on which to base my appetizer decision, I decided to “Thai” the shrimp cakes ($6.95) and a glass of Thai Ice Coffee ($2.25).

Thai Ice Coffee is sweet, dark coffee waiting on the bottom of a glass to be stirred into the milk sitting on top. The drink was sweet, like Thai Ice Coffee is supposed to be, strong and perfect. .

Robert Jackson, one of the owners, brought out the four round, light orange-brown shrimp cakes. The light texture of the panko flakes show the effort that went into these flattened tennis ball-sized delicacies rendered from mashed shrimp, chicken and water chestnut. A light and sweet vinegar, sugar and chili paste accompanied the cakes on a bed of shredded carrots.

Shortly after came the Spicy Basil Noodles, which the menu described as “stir-fried rice noodles, egg, napa (Asian cabbage) and basil leaf.” The noodle and rice entrees can be made with chicken, beef, pork, tofu or shrimp, which determine the price ($7.95 to $12.95). Customers order entrees on a spiciness scale of one to 10. I asked for chicken at a level five.

When the noodles came, I was delighted that the rice noodles were my favorite type of noodle. These flat and wide rice noodles are called “chow fun” in Cantonese, but I understand the Thai call them “kway teow.”

These noodles are soft on the tongue and perfect in a stir fry. Somy Jackson, Sukhothai’s second owner, expertly cooked these somewhat sticky noodles without making them greasy. The chicken pieces were tender, and the napa added a nice crunch to contrast the soft noodles. I only wish that it had more basil.

The large portion was too much for me to eat along with the appetizer, so I happily took a third of my entree home for a late-night snack. The noodles don’t harden so much that they can’t be salvaged in the microwave. That’s how you know they’re fresh.

Robert and Somy Jackson have been married for 18 years and opened Sukhothai on First Avenue Downtown about three and a half years ago, but they decided to move to Oakland about a month ago because of consistent business from students, as well as University and UPMC staff.

Sukhothai’s mission to cater Oakland’s college crowd appropriately coincides with the restaurant’s secondary mission to educate the patrons about Thailand. On a whiteboard by the cash register, there’s a Thai word of the day.

When Robert met Somy, who is Thai, he said he knew a little about Thailand, but now he’s learning Thai and hopes to retire there someday.

“I think it’s great to get to know a culture personally,” Robert said.

Sukhothai’s dining room feels spacious with many two- and four-person tables to seat about 65 people. Somy brought the brightly colored tablecloths and many of the small pictures on the wall back from Thailand.

Small red lights over each table and the religious idols that rest upon shelves and countertops create a homey atmosphere in the restaurant, and Thai karaoke tunes play faintly over laptop speakers. Patrons are free to kick back and enjoy their own alcoholic beverages, but the restaurant charges a $1 corking fee for each beer bottle and $3 for a wine bottle.

The Jacksons plan to hold Thai cooking classes for groups of six or eight in the restaurant every other Sunday for about two and a half hours.

“Don’t come thinking it’ll be work, work, work,” he said. “It’s about having fun.”