Thai Ghang Waan, Brookfield Plaza in Springfield - Thai in the old House of Siam Space on Spring Garden Drive

[thistle]

I had a delicious DR dinner at House of Siam (I loved the larb) & tried a couple of times to meet a friend there for lunch-once they were closed on Mon. & the next time they were just closed, permanently. I saw that they had reopened as Thai Ghang Waan & decided to pick up lunch for my friend, who's moving cross country. I picked up larb & som tang, both very good, pad kha prow (I would have liked it hotter, but I didn't specifically ask for that), & pad lad na (wide noodles w/ broccoli & brown sauce)- I didn't try this, got it for those who like not-spicy, but I liked that they packed the noodles & sauce separately, so it wouldn't spill or get soggy. Fried rice was,well, fried rice -it was all good, average sized servings & pleasant fast service. It's not too close to me (I have several good options), but if I were in the area, I'd definitely try some more dishes.

[Kibbee Nayee]

Thai Ghang Waan is the new Thai restaurant in the old House of Siam space in Brookfield Plaza. New owner, new name, new chef, new furniture, new restaurant.

And really frikking good! Easily the best Thai restaurant in Springfield and nearby environs. Wow!

I had a sizzling beef dish for lunch today, with perfect broccoli, green beans and mushrooms, accompained by a nuclear dipping sauce and nice little sweet-sour pickles to stanch the heat. This dish was absolutely delicious.

As is my wont, I talked up Noi, my waitress. She expalined that the restaurant is geniune Thai, mostly Bangkok area, but all over the country as well. She walked me through the menu items, and gave me the once-over of what is a very large Thai menu of offerings. And if the sizzling beef dish I had today was an example, then this is an awesome menu.

But wait....!

Then she brought me the "Thai menu"....! I couldn't read it, but we had a general discussion of heat, heat and more heat. She mentioned some special dishes like fried catfish, and a long-cooked broth loaded with meat and noodles, and crispy pork, and a unique rendering of papaya salad....then I mentioned to her that a few "friends" of mine and I would like to come by for the "Thai menu" tasting in the near future....!

[jparrott]

I want a pony.

[Kibbee Nayee]

I want a pony.

I believe a pony can be had at this establishment....I'm picturing a table-full of Rockwellians, bibs around necks, fork in one hand and spoon in the other, and a direction to the kitchen to "feed us real food"....

However, it is not without a certain bit of trepidation that I anticipate the following day's reminder of our repast....!

[As Jake and I share a common employer, we'll plan accordingly as to how best to cover our absences....]

[jparrott]

I believe a pony can be had at this establishment....I'm picturing a table-full of Rockwellians, bibs around necks, fork in one hand and spoon in the other, and a direction to the kitchen to "feed us real food"....

But the fact that you have to beg and plead and organize and cajole at almost every establishment just to get a look at what's on the other side of the fence is, frankly, bullshit.

[Kibbee Nayee]

Lady KN and I had a lovely take out dinner from Thai Ghang Waan tonight. Not just good, but damned good. And with a nod to Jake, we were allowed to order off both the regular and the Thai menu.

Appetizers included the Larb Gai, one of the best versions around, with plenty of heat and lime and cilantro in a delectibly wonderful dish. We also enjoyed the house specialty of Moo Dadd Deaw, spicy pork with a spicy sauce, as well as the Thai-style spring rolls from the Thai menu. It would be hard to imagine a better trio of appetizers than these.

Then we moved to the mains, and I have to say that I have never had a better entree in any Thai restaurant than the Goong Gleur, the lightly battered shrimp -- including shell -- and string beans with special Thai sauce. It was incredible. I asked two of the Thai waitresses what they would order, and then I asked them what their mom would order, and this dish was the unanimous suggestion. And OMG, was it good. Damned good.

Lady KN had the Pad Prik Pao seafood combination, with stri fried onions, scallions and carrots in a homemade chili sauce, accompanied by plenty of scallops, shrimp and squid. This was a really delicious dish. We also brought home a Drunken Noodles with veggies and tofu for number one son who is now on a vegetarian kick. Surprisingly, this dish was just as good as any Drunken Noodles I've had in the past year, at least.

Thai Ghang Waan is easily the best Thai restaurant in Springfield, at least. It transcends the typical Americanized Thai suburban restaurant and actually delivers real Thai from a chef who hails from Bangkok. The servers are Thai and pointed out to me that the food is authentic central Thai food, and rolled their eyes and waved off the notion of Americanized Thai.

If I had to list the best restaurants in Springfield, Thai Ghang Waan would be in the top three with Monty's and Gamasot. Just saying....

[DonRocks]

If I had to list the best restaurants in Springfield, Thai Ghang Waan would be in the top three with Monty's and Gamasot. just saying....

Atmosphere aside, do you *really* think it's better than Karahi Kabob? Because I had an excellent karahi there a couple of weeks ago.

[Kibbee Nayee]

Atmosphere aside, do you *really* think it's better than Karahi Kabob? Because I had an excellent karahi there a couple of weeks ago.

These two are close, but I don't think there's a better dish at Karahi Kabob than the Goong Gleur at Thai Ghang Waan.

(And I'll meet you at both next time, along with Oh Bok Jung just a few steps away.)

[Kibbee Nayee]

I'm going to continue offering my observations on this place because I love it. I think it's second only to Monty's as the best restaurant in Springfield. Tonight's meal was $60 worth of carryout dishes as follows:

14. Yum Talay - Mixed seafood salad, executed well, nicely flavored ad worth ordering again.

41. Chicken Pad Thai - My son's request, and he declared it to be OK, but not great. It looked to me like Pad Thai, nothing more and nothing less. Yawn....

43. Drunken Noodles Seafood Combo - Very good, nice textures and flavors. I really like this dish, and I've had Pad Kee Mao everywhere. Perhaps a bit muted in spiciness, but if I were dining in, that could be fixed.

48. Goong Gleur - Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner. I rank this dish with Monty's Combination Sea Bass and Salmon Appetizer as the two best single dishes in Springfield right now. Slightly battered shrimp, shell included, lightly fried with string beans and onions and served over a bed of fried kale. Absolutely frikkin' succulent. Flavors and mouthfeel and taste, oh my! I would order this dish daily.

50. Pad Ped Pha Talay - A 3-pepper seafood stir fry with shrimp, squid and scallops. I only tasted about one and a half peppers, but this was still a nice dish with good textures and flavors.

This place needs some Dining Guide love....

[dhowgill]

Had the pleasure of dinner at Thai Ghang Waan on Tuesday, and as everyone above had an excellent meal.

Very keen on their use of paratha for the duck roll appetizer, less grease and more flavor - a good combo. Thai fish cakes good, but nothing to write home about - which can not be said of the main courses, where these guys guys shone.

For the meat and veg friend with us the house steak (55) was perfectly cooked and quite delicious, the crispy duck with basil (47) was a little tough for a few pieces but mostly well prepared, tasty, hot and far from a complaint.

The reals standouts have to be on the Thai menu, which is authentic and delicious. Can't remember the numbers, but oh my. The wide noodles were probably the best I've had in years, and the chinese friend with us who ordered them concurred heartily. All that said I have saved the best until last, also from the Thai menu - the crispy pork with greens. This last dish was a revelation and hands down best of the evening - basically fresh pork scratching/chicharones with sauteed greens, sounds simple but am still salivating 2 days later.

I am very much looking forward to a return trip to attack the rest of that Thai menu...

[Kibbee Nayee]

The second stop on my Spring Garden Drive progressive pigfest meal in Springfield tonight was at the under-rated Thai Ghang Waan, just after Kang Chon and just before Karahi Kabob.

I was stuffed from the first stop, at Kang Chon, but I was undeterred. After all, there are many restaurants, and only one Kibbee Nayee. I pushed myself onward.

Am I glad I did. You see, this little gem of a Thai restuarant -- in my opinion, the best Thai restuarant within at least a five mile radius -- has a lovely Thai menu to go with its regular menu. Mind you, the regular menu is studded with gems, like the (#48) Goong Gleur, perhaps the single best dish in all of Springfield. I went with the Thai menu tonight.

And I touched Heaven, however briefly. It is called Pork Liver Salad, and it is divine. A very generous amount of tender and delicious slices of pork liver, over a spicy combination of crisp lettuce, cilantro leaves, julienned red onions and finely-diced scallions, with a nice grit which the chef later identified as toasted and ground rice. Plenty of spice, but not too much, and perfectly matched with a Singha beer. Had I not been so stuffed, I would have ordered a second portion and downed it on the spot. The Thai ladies in the kitchen each came out to see this Yankee eating such a dish, and asking how I could like such an exotic example of central Thai cuisine. I laughed and suggested that they throw away the regular menu and just focus on the good stuff.

I waddled out of there quite happy, and ready to conclude my pigfest meal at Karahi Kabob and Sweets.

[thistle]

Sounds like you scored a hat trick of good eats in Brookfield Plaza, I haven't been to Thai Ghang Waan in awhile, & I think I'm due for a good lunch soon...

[ulrath]

Stopped for carry out on my way home. Since it was carry out I didn't get the Goong Gleur, afraid that it wouldn't travel well. I got the Drunken Noodles Seafood Combo and the #31 which was some kind of tofu/ground pork dish. Both items were excellent. The wok hei on the drunken noodles was nice. Having taken the Thai cooking class with Nong from Thai Basil, I would say these drunken noodles were better.

[Kibbee Nayee]

Stopped for carry out on my way home. Since it was carry out I didn't get the Goong Gleur, afraid that it wouldn't travel well. I got the Drunken Noodles Seafood Combo and the #31 which was some kind of tofu/ground pork dish. Both items were excellent. The wok hei on the drunken noodles was nice. Having taken the Thai cooking class with Nong from Thai Basil, I would say these drunken noodles were better.

BTW, the Goong Gleur is spectacular at the restaurant, but it has survived a trip to my house in the past with barely any loss of quality.

I'm ready to go out on a limb and declare Thai Ghang Waan the best Thai restaurant in a good 5-mile radius and maybe one of the five best in all of northern Virginia.

[mleese]

We were here for dinner on Friday night as the cookout we were planning to go to got canceled because of weather. If it's not clear from the previous posts, the Thai menu has now been translated into English. Our previous favorite was (I believe) the Goong Gleur which is as good as ever but, after ordering off the Thai menu, we have a new favorite: the ground pork with thin noodles soup (I have no idea what the Thai name for this is). The soup had the perfect balance of hot and sour. I thought the ground peanuts also added a nice crunch. It was spicy (particularly the noodles) but we just couldn't stop eating it.

[Kibbee Nayee]

We enjoyed a nice carry out meal tonight, and I can confirm that the quality does drop off a bit with travel. Nonetheless, the quality is still good enough to enjoy, although the Goong Gleur did get somewhat gummy after about 30 minutes. In the restaurant, this dish is a shining star.

Along with the Goong Gleur, we enjoyed the Yum Talay seafood salad, the very spicy seafood combination stir fry and the Steak Thai Ghang Waan. The steak dish was sliced beef accompanied by green beans and mushrooms, and was okay but somewhat smallish in portion size. I sense that this dish is an awkward bone to be thrown at American customers, and not in the kitchen's wheelhouse. The spicy seafood stir fry was indeed spicy, and sent Lady KN scrambling for some dairy to put out the fire. The Yum Talay was spot on and survived the travel well.

I have spoken with the lovely ladies who run the front of the house, and they mentioned that the one- two- and three-pepper spice levels on the menu are infinitely adjustable. They claim to have one customer who asks for 30 peppers!

[Eatdceat]

I went there today for the second time and again thought it was fantastic.

Definitely up there in terms of DC area Thai places. I'm hard pressed to say that there's another place that's clearly better.

I'm not sure what the distinction is between the two menus. Ill have to make sure to ask next time.

As mentioned above, the duck roll appetizer and goong gleur on the main menu are both excellent. And the nam kao tod (think it's called something likely different, but basically a crispy rice salad with pork) on the supplemental menu is also first rate.

Also really enjoyed their papaya salad, nam tok, and mango sticky rice. The only item I haven't really enjoyed was the sai oua sausage, which was just pretty good.

All in all, just a great place.

[Kibbee Nayee]

Lady KN and I continue to return to this place because it is really the most under-rated Thai restaurant in the suburbs. We would have to drive to Arlington or go downtown to enjoy as good a meal.

And tonight demonstrated again that it is also a consistent restaurant. We had a very good meal. Our selections:

10. Larb: Delicious flavors of minced chicken, red onions, lettuce, mint, lime and peppers. Fresh and spicy.

48. Goong Gleur - This remains one of the best dishes in Springfield. Slightly battered shrimp, shell included, lightly fried with string beans and onions and served over a bed of fried kale.  absolutely love this dish.

50. Pad Ped Pha Talay - A 3-pepper-rated seafood stir fry with shrimp, squid and scallops. If seafood is your thing, this is a dish for you.

55. Steak Thai Ghang Waan: Yes, there were two of us, and yes, we ordered three entrees. And yes, we finished everything. This dish featured little chunks of beef, with mushrooms and broccoli, on a sizzling platter, accompanied by sticky rice and a hot dipping sauce. It was good, but not the star of the table.

The dishes landing on other tables around us looked beautiful, and I only wish we had a Thai native to guide us through the delicacies. Never mind, I'll just sample the whole menu over time....

[noamb]

Since this is our favorite Thai place right now, and it was nearly empty tonight, I feel compelled to point out how good it is.

They reformatted the Thai menu, and while some things seem to have disappeared (most obviously the various noodle soups, which I didn't actually love when I tried them), it has some really good things on it.  The best one we had was a crispy rice and sausage salad that was great - reminded me of some things I've had at Bangkok Golden. Also a pork collar appetizer special cooked with a sweet sauce and served with a spicy (ish) dipping sauce.  We also had fried pork belly with Chinese broccoli that was just OK, not really interesting.  And (I seem to recall this came up in another thread recently?), they'll make (good) pad woon sen if you ask for it, even though it's not on the menu.

[monkeyrotica]

Been here twice for lunch and excellent both times. The "pork jerky" was a tasty, porky treat. We also got a steak app that was dressed with a spicy, citrusey vinaigrette that was addictive. Really liked the fried catfish with chilis and basil and the wife got the green beef curry which she really liked. Not really into toxic levels of heat, so I appreciated the nice, warm, well-rounded levels of heat in the dishes. Yelpers are complaining that the old chef left and that the new one isn't as good. Can't comment on that, but I've enjoyed everything I've tried so far.

[DonRocks]

We also got a steak app that was dressed with a spicy, citrusey vinaigrette that was addictive.

This sounds like the dish called "Crying Tiger." This dish isn't Americanized; they eat it in Thailand. I've seen the sauce served in a dipping bowl, poured on top of the steak (which should have grill marks on it), and resting at the bottom of the plate with the steak on top - dipping sauce is my preference since you can control each bite (I don't always want the same level of heat in each bite I take, and this sauce can be pretty damned spicey). I've also seen it both with and without cheap salad greens, though generally without.

[monkeyrotica]

The steak was seared, sliced into bite size pieces, and was served on a bed of julienned Chinese broccoli. The sauce was drizzled over the meat, but the broccoli kept the meat from sitting in it. When I first saw it, I was expecting something like those terrible dried hangar steak  hors-d'oeuvres you find at trendy bars or poorly catered weddings. The meat was really tender and the sauce was well balanced.
 

[LauraB]

We've been here 3 times, most recently earlier this week. When we were living in DC we were addicted to Baan Thai and we've missed it so much.  TGW is not Baan Thai, but it is a really good Thai restaurant.  Our best visit was earlier this week because our server was Oom (I probably haven't spelled that right), and she was so personable and friendly and quickly identified that we like real Thai food.  We ordered exclusively off of their 'Thai Menu' and we started with their Papaya Salad (Som Tum).  We've had this here before and it's always good. We followed that up with the Issan Sausage.  Here is the description from the website: "Thai northeastern style pork sausage served with cabbage, ginger, chili and peanuts"  We really liked this.  There were 3 sausages, each maybe 4-5 inches long, on skewers.  The sausages were really moist and well-cooked, and very flavorful.  We'd definitely order this again. Our third choice was the Pad Thai from the Thai menu (this is different from the Pad Thai on their regular menu).  Let me clarify: we never order Pad Thai.  However, this was described as 'the best Pad Thai you'll ever eat.'  We decided to take the challenge.  This Pad Thai is served with head-on giant prawns.  We have not had good experiences with giant prawns in the past (they're usually really dry), so we asked if shrimp could be substituted.  They agreed.  This Pad Thai was served with the heat-inducing chili flakes on the side, so you could control the amount of heat.  The taste of it was fantastic.  All of the flavors you want in a Pad Thai, plus the heat that you control.  Perfection. Finally, we ordered the Thai Basil Chicken Wings.  That may not be the exact name because I couldn't find it on their online menu.  Anyway, these are not your dad's chicken wings.  The closest thing I can come to describe these are the whiskey pork ribs at Little Serow.  Don't get me wrong: these are nowhere near Little Serow level, but they do have an elegance and a restraint in the glaze that Little Serow delivers. The wings are chopped into 2 or 3 pieces and I found that I preferred to peel off the skin because it was still flaccid.  The meat was really tasty. 

It was a delightful visit and certainly enhanced by Oom. We'll be going back soon.

[Kibbee Nayee]

Two years sine the last update....and this place keeps getting better.

There's a new menu and we ordered carryout. What a pleasant meal. I had the #45 Steak Thai Ghang Waan, and Lady KN had the #42 Pad Chad Talay -- the latter had 3 stars of heat, and dang, was it hot. But is was also good.

We led off with the larb gai, still very delicious.

Best Thai in Springfield, and at least three rungs to low on the Dining Guide's ladder.

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

Best Thai in Springfield, and at least three rungs to low on the Dining Guide's ladder.

Wat chu talkin bout?

(Open 7 Days, 11AM-10PM, Delivery $20 Minimum)

[noamb]

For a long time I agreed with that assessment - it was our favorite (at least in the VA suburbs, which is what we can usefully sample), but the last couple of times it’s been just OK. Crispy rice salad was still great, but other things didn’t seem as good as we expected. I don’t remember details, unfortunately. Some curry, I think, probably red, and perhaps pad soon sen (off the menu, but they’ve always been nice and made it for us). I’d like to hope that it was just a one (or two) off aberration.

[Kibbee Nayee]

Thanks to Uber Eats, Thai Ghang Waan served dinner for us last night, and it was very good. Springfield's best Thai, but worthy of consideration for slightly-Americanized Thai across northern Virginia. Here's what we enjoyed last night -- and for lunch today:

Spring rolls -- 3 small and crispy vegetarian spring rolls with a slightly sweet dipping sauce.

Larb Gai -- Really good minced chicken with refreshing scallions and lime juice.

Spicy Seafood Salad -- Seafood combination in fresh chili and lime sauce.

Steak Thai Ghang Waan -- Marinated grilled steak chunks with pickled vegetables in a spicy sauce.

Pad Cha Talay -- Spicy seafood stir fry with Thai herbs

Thai Ghang Waan is legitimately good "slightly" Americanized Thai, probably the best Thai food this side of Elephant Jumps.