Located at 4650 Johnston St., Pimon Thai is a Thai restaurant specializing in authentic Thai dishes. They offer a wide selection of classic dishes from the country, such as curry, pad thai, stir fry, seafood and soups. Locals enjoy this restaurant for its well-priced meals and good food.
Their daily lunch specials, which are available Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., include Pad Kee Mau (spicy hot basil and chili pepper with wide rice noodles), Pad Nam Hoi (oyster sauce stir fry), Pad Ped (red chili curry paste with sweet basil and mixed vegetables) and Gang Panang (curry, ground roasted herbs and shredded lime leaves with your choice of meat).
Pimon Thai was established in 1996 as Lafayette’s original Thai restaurant. In 2011, they moved to their current location due to their growing popularity. Within almost 30 years of business, they have become the locals go-to spot for original Thai food.
The atmosphere of this restaurant was a beautiful sight. Their walls are covered in Thai-themed art and decor, which makes the restaurant stand out. Some of my favorite pieces were elegant in some ways and vibrant in others. The warm lighting features complemented the restaurant well. The restaurant’s bar area was the center point despite being slightly tucked away.
My colleague and I had the pleasure of visiting this restaurant during lunchtime on Wednesday, Mar. 12. As we walked in, we were greeted by the host and seated at a table next to the window, which we got to choose. Now, I am no expert in Thai food, so looking at the menu, I had no idea what to choose. The number of different renditions of stir fry, curries, and pad thai was impressive, to say the least.
The menu’s appetizer section contained an assortment of salads, soups, rolls, fried shrimp and squid. We decided to get fried shrimp as our appetizer. To our surprise, our waitress brought us an on-the-house soup that contained chicken soon after we ordered our appetizer. I usually do not like soup, but that was one of the best soups I have tasted. The flavor was strong, but not too overwhelming.
The entree section, as I mentioned earlier in the lunch specials, contained lots of different choices. I ended up going with the Beef and Broccoli while my colleague chose the Pad Radnah (soybean based sauce with broccoli and sprouts over a bed of lightly fried rice noodles) with chicken. All of the entrees had an arrangement of spices such as mild, medium, hot and Thai hot. We both got the mild spice level.
Our appetizer came out within a few minutes after we ordered our entrees. The fried shrimp came with this sweet and sour sauce that complemented well with the shrimp.
Our meals came out shortly after we finished our soup and fried shrimp. My beef and broccoli came with white rice and was topped with carrots. When I took my first bite of rice with the beef and broccoli, I was pleasantly surprised since my last Thai food experience did not go well. Everything in the meal was perfectly tender and seasoned.
My colleague shared a similar experience with her Pad Radnah. It contained chicken and was topped with broccoli and carrots. Since this was her first time trying Thai food, she was hesitant at first, but as soon as she took the first bite, she was in flavor heaven. We tried each other’s meals and I will certainly be getting that dish the next time I visit this place.
After we finished our meals, I decided to interview the owner of Pimon Thai, Montree Boonniam. “I took over in 2011…this is original authentic Thai food, like a lot of people come back as regulars, oh yeah they love our place.”
“See about January until February 22, we went on a vacation overseas to Thailand. It shut down for seven weeks, when we first came back people were lined up to come in. They missed our food.”
“Other Thai places around here have no flavor, no taste. You have to be real Thai, to make Thai. Each dish has a different taste…and this is the best restaurant I have ever owned. We fit good over here because it’s Cajun land over here.”
When asked if he recommends this place as a workplace for students, he said “We have had a lot of former students that have worked here in the early years, they graduate to become a doctor, nurse or lawyer. I let them work and I let them eat what they want to eat. They used to make good, real good tips.”
The sense of community in this place was apparent. After serving the locals for so long, this establishment has perfected, in my opinion, their restaurant. The food is definitely authentic, and the staff was some of the sweetest people I have ever met.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Pimon Thai. Talking to the owner and trying some of the best Thai food ever was a pleasure. If you would like to visit this restaurant, they are open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and are closed on Sundays.
