Date night: Shelly and her husband visit Westboro’s Nohkam Thai

 

Nohkam Thai Restaurant

Shelly Lyonnais is a local elementary school teacher who has been living in Ottawa on and off for 20 years.  She spends her weekends in search of Ottawa’s great date night dinner locations.

Everyone in Ottawa has their own favourite Thai restaurant, so there is a neverending supply of suggestions when you ask around.  I recently put the word out to my friends that a Thai recommendation was needed, and sure enough, a few were offered.

We decided to follow the recommendation of a friend who lived in Thailand, because if she loved it then it had to be good! Nohkam Thai in Westboro it was.

This tiny restaurant is in a mini mall that is easily overlooked, and I would never have noticed it had we not been looking for it.  Upon entering we were surrounded by tables and people eagerly awaiting the delights from the kitchen.  The walls of the restaurant are adorned with typical Thai finery, sparkling wall hangings and carnations on the tables.  There was a line of people at the bar waiting for take out.

We were seated right away, and even though every table in the restaurant was full and only two servers seemed to be making the rounds, we were very well taken care of.

Our meal arrived piping hot in the blue and white dishes that all of the food was served in. I started out with Tom Kha Goong, which is a soul warming soup –  a combination of shrimp, coconut milk, mushrooms, baby corn and Thai ginger.  I absolutely loved the tang from the ginger and the thickness that comes from the coconut milk.  My husband started with his favourite pork satay with spicy peanut sauce.  This is the first satay that we have seen that is deep fried, so I was a bit unsure of how it would taste, but my husband absolutely loved it.

My entree was a spicy green curry called Gaeng Keow Warn.  This dish is an amazing mix of chicken, bamboo shoots, and Thai eggplant in coconut milk.  This was a bit too spicy for my husband but I thoroughly enjoyed it! The second entree we had was the ever popular, Pad Thai with chicken.  My husband is not a Pad Thai connoisseur, however he has had it many times before and this was his favourite by far.

Even though Nohkam Thai is small and lost in a mini mall, it seems to be quite a popular little gem, so you should make reservations.  I know I’ll be returning to this special spot to try the list of items that caught my attention… but that I was just too full to try.

Thanks Shelly! What’s your favourite Ottawa Thai restaurant?

Tags: date night, local food, Nohkam Thai, Restaurants, Thai food, Westboro