Written By Christina Widener
The friendliness of the owners and the simple design and functionality of the place are impressive. Combined with the unique Thai aroma, a rich combination of coconut milk, curry, and sauted chicken and vegetables, the honest decor of the restaurant virtually exudes hospitality.
Owners Surachai and Rachanee Vongvight are regular fixtures at Thai Classic III. Rachanee works in the kitchen, fixing her original recipes for customers and Chai greets customers out front. He seems to know each customer and brings orders out personally.
Although all food is made fresh, the time between ordering and serving is short. Thus, Thai Classic III serves a fair sized lunch crowd and does a thriving business in takeout orders. Delivery is free.
One of the restaurant’s regular customers, Jim Thomas, comes in roughly three times a week.
“The warmth and friendliness of the owners is nice,” said Thomas. “It is also refreshing to have so many menu options.”
Surachai expanded on the comment: “We serve only Thai food – no Chinese. There is a big difference between the two. Our sauces are lighter and the ingredients and tastes are different than Chinese food. Thai food is healthier and won’t make you as thirsty when you get home.”
Thai food, he added with a twinkle, won’t make you as fat as Chinese.
Although the Vongvights have only been in Westminster for seven months, they are not amateurs in the restaurant business. As the name of their current restaurant indicates, they have brought two other Thai Classic restaurant to success: one in Owings Mills and another in Eldersburg.
The first Thai Classic location at 1720 Liberty Road in Eldersburg has been been in business for 20 years. The Vongvights recently sold the Owings Mills establishment. Chai and Arachnee have plans for an additional location, “Maybe in a year or two we’ll open in Towson,” said Chai. “Nothing official, but we are thinking about it.”
“We decided to bring Thai Classic to Westminster,” said Surachai, “because my lawyer, who lives in Westminster, said there was a need here for our kind of food.”
Perhaps the Vongvights’ formula for success lies in their commitment to a family run model. “My niece runs the Eldersburg location, my wife controls all of the food for all locations, and our son helps out too,” said Surachai. Their story is that of the American dream. With hard work and devotion to their art, they have done so well that they are able to visit their native Thailand once a year. “We’d like to get back more,” said Surachai, “but we are busy here with the restaurants.”
Rachanee learned to cook in her native Bangkok.
“She cooked each night for herself in Thailand,” said Chai, “and this how she learned to make her many sauces.”
She tweaked her recipes to suit her own taste and continues to make all the sauces so that customers have a uniform experience at each Thai Classic restaurant. Rachanee emphasized that she uses only the freshest ingredients. Her attention to detail and commitment to excellence gives customers the experience of a home cooked Thai meal.
Surachai points out that she uses no MSG, because most Thai food does not include it. Instead, she achieves a similar taste by adding fish sauce-a healthier option to MSG-to dishes.
One of Rachanee’s specialties includes her kapow: a spicy chili garlic sauce cooked up as a stir fry with onions and green beans and choice of chicken, pork, beef, or shrimp. It appears as a thin brown sauce and is best served over rice.
Another customer favorite is the panang curry: a creamier version of kapow with a remarkably different taste that can be served with chicken, pork, beef, duck, or seafood. The panang is not as spicy as the kapow and the sauce is thicker.
Rachanee uses coconut milk to offset the heat of some of the spicier dishes, such as the panang curry, and it adds a unique smoothness to the overall taste.
Another tasty menu item includes homemade Thai tea, a combination of traditional anise, cinnamon and vanilla-flavored tea mixed with coconut milk. It works well as a palate cleanser for customers who want to order several dishes and enjoy each one’s unique flavor.
For dessert, Rachanee can cook up a traditional Thai dish of fried bananas. Also available are two different kinds of coconut pie, coconut ice cream, and mango with sticky rice.
The menu at Thai Classic III also gives its customers plenty of vegetarian and healthy options. Upon request, Chai can make traditional Thai dishes without meat or fish sauce. Most of the curry sauces and specialty entrees also have vegetarian options. In addition there is a vegetarian section on the menu with nine specialty plates.
Despite the exotic quality of her Thai cuisine, Rachanee made it clear that the restaurant offers child-friendly dishes, too.
“We can make things young kids will like,” she said. “Certain items are more popular with children.”
For more information on Thai Classic III, call 410-386-0607.
