A longtime family-owned Thai restaurant on Langston Blvd has taken on a new name and look, along with some new menu items.
Thai Thai rebranded to Thai Leaf this fall under the ownership of Pichamon Dobson, a family friend of the previous owner. While Dobson spent months renovating the restaurant at 5123 Langston Blvd, much of Thai Thai’s cuisine lives on under the same chef.
“Regulars can still find most of the same dishes, and we’re always happy to modify spiciness or ingredients to appeal to our customer’s tastes,” Dobson’s husband, Joseph Workman, told ARLnow.
Thai Leaf serves a wide-ranging menu of cultural staples, including drunken noodles, hot and sour soups, curries and pad thai. The restaurant also offers Thai tea, coffee, juice and bubble tea, as well as refreshing desserts like mango sticky rice.
“Some dishes we like to highlight are the pad thai, which is loved by kids and adults alike, our papaya salad, which is a fresh mix of sour and spicy, and the Thai Leaf cashew chicken,” Workman said.
Cashew chicken is one of Dobson and Workman’s latest menu additions. Made with sautéed chicken, crunchy cashews and fresh peppers and onions, the dish is like a savory counterpart to Chinese orange chicken, Lek Soontornpatee, a relative of the previous owner, said.
With padded wooden booths and potted succulents on floating shelves, the renovated interior carries a relaxed, natural theme.
Thai Leaf had previously been owned and operated by the same family since around 1995, ARLnow is told. Some of those family members and staff, like Soontornpatee, are still around to help the new restaurant’s legacy.
Dobson has nearly a decade of experience in Thai restaurants, most recently in Maryland. She looks forward to sharing her love of Thai food with the area, including Thai Thai’s regulars, Workman said.
The couple is currently working on a limited-time winter menu that is coming soon.
