Thai Gourmet - Partially Halal, but still great!

Restaurant: Thai Gourmet

Address: 6324 Richmond Avenue, Houston, Texas 77057

Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte

Date of visit: 1/9/16

UPDATE 8/13/16: I went a few days ago to give this place a second shot. I did mention that I was going to order a curry, but instead I ordered the same Pad Thai with the mild spice level. It made a huge difference. My mouth didn't burn, and the dish tasted amazing! There was a lot more flavor. The dish was very fresh. The Pad Thai here is definitely at the same level as Anothai. I would give it a 9/10

Background:

Salam/hey guys, and welcome to the first review of the year! Today I will be reviewing a popular Thai place in Houston. It is called Thai Gourmet. I decided to go here because of a poll that I had conducted on Twitter. Basically at the start of every year, I let you guys decide where I should do my first review of the year. 

I actually heard a lot of praises about the place. The people would say that the food is the best Thai restaurant in Houston. They also would say about how the place had a lot of flavor and how good it was priced. The time came for me to try after attending a gathering of bloggers from all over Houston. There wasn't anything vegetarian there with the exception of plantains (not a fan of them), and I hadn't eaten anything during the day. So after saying goodbye to the bloggers I met, I headed to the restaurant.

Let The Experience Begin!

Thai Gourmet is located right opposite Cafe Layal at the back of the strip complex. I always used to think that Thai Gourmet would be empty because Layal has hookah, and hookah usually means that a place would get a lot of business and would be packed. But I was wrong. Inside was really packed! When I went it, the waitress asked whether I would sit inside or outside. I sat outside. I was then directed to a free table, and then handed the menu.

Let's Eat!

I decided to try their Pad Thai with chicken. I wanted to see how their Pad Thai would compare to Anothai. I got the medium spicy level. To drink, I just had water. I paid a total of $12.45 (tax included). The waiting time was 16 minutes and 6 seconds. To wait, I was just shivering in the cold.

Menu: They do have a website, but the menu isn't up to date. Everything, including the lunch specials, is priced higher here than Anothai. The difference is more than $1. Thai Gourmet however has more options, but there is one significant difference between the places: only the chicken at Thai Gourmet is halal. Be cautious as they also have pork. The menu says that it can be used in place of another meat.

Appetizers, Soups, and Noodles

Front

Thai Salads, Beef, and Fried Rice

Seafood, Duck, and Extras

Chicken and Vegetarian

Luncheons (a.k.a. their lunch special). Sorry for some of the prices being blurred out. They range between $6.95 and $8.95

The Pad Thai

The Verdict:

Normally when you order something with a medium spicy level, you would expect it to be not too spicy and not too mild right? Well here at Thai Gourmet, this doesn't apply. One bite of the chicken Pad Thai, and it was literally burning my mouth, and this is coming from someone who eats home cooked spicy food on a regular basis. I honestly wonder whether anyone has survived their Thai Hot level. The food was still great, and I was able to cool my mouth with the big glass of water that they gave me. 

The service was ok. I have neither praise nor criticism to give.

Conclusion:

Thai Gourmet is better than Thai Choice, that much is known. However, I will not give a verdict on whether it is better than Anothai. I will give the verdict on my next trip, where I will try their curries. If you want halal Thai inside the tollway, then you should totally come here, even though only the chicken is halal. I hope that one day they get halal beef!



Grading:
Service: 8/10
Food: 8.5/10
Total: 16.5/20 = 82.5% (B)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Thai Gourmet
6324 Richmond Avenue, Houston, Texas 77057
Phone: (713) 780-7955
Website: http://www.thaigourmethouston.com/
Facebook: none
Timings:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: 11 AM - 2:30 PM and 5 PM - 9:30 PM
Friday: 11 AM - 2:30 PM and 5 PM - 10:30 PM
Saturday: 11 AM - 10 PM
Sunday: Closed

Caters: yes

Feel free to comment below, send me a message on Facebook, or send me an email!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed