Hug Baan Thai: everything came out fast and all of it was good

Hug Baan Thai took over the old Sala Thai space in Sterling Heights and kept the recipes. Dave Roz and I went for lunch, got the combo, and I’d go back tomorrow.

The kitchen is fast. Everything we ordered was on the table inside of twelve minutes.

The food

We started with the soup and the salad. The salad was amazing. It came with a ginger dressing I would put on just about anything. The soup was good. Nothing special about it, but nothing wrong with it either.

Dave got the crab rangoons. I tried half of one. They’re not my thing and I wouldn’t order them myself. They’re supposed to be one of the best things here, so don’t let me talk you out of it.

The shrimp tempura was very good. It came with two sauces and the sweet, vinegary one was my favorite. I never caught the name of it.

I got the Pad See Ew and Dave got the Pad Thai. Both were extremely good.

The vibe

The decor is the best part of the room. There’s a water feature in the middle of the place, a little rock waterfall running into a pool, covered in fake orchids and ceramic frogs and fairy lights. It sounds like a lot. It works.

Open full-size photo

Service was friendly the whole time, and the lunch combo is a good deal.

Wheels-eye view

Easy. That’s most of the report.

I got in without a problem and got to a table without anybody rearranging furniture. The room is big enough and clean enough that none of it turned into a thing.

I didn’t use the restroom, so I can’t tell you firsthand. I did go look for it, and getting there would have been easy. Given how the rest of the place is laid out, I’d be surprised if it gave anyone trouble.

The verdict

Good food, a fast kitchen, friendly people, and a room that’s actually fun to sit in. The salad and the Pad See Ew are what I’d come back for.

Three and a quarter wheels.