Ginger Thai Kitchen

I remember my first trip to Ginger Thai Kitchen in Salinas when it opened in 2015 like I remember my trip to Bangkok in 2012. These memories are as lively as the city and its cuisine. My most recent visit – to the Salinas restaurant – was like a flashback.

The streets of Bangkok present a combination of chaos and order, similar to the controlled melee of so many Thai dishes. Panang curry ($8.95-$10.95/lunch special) is a traditional red curry with tofu and colorful veggies: carrots, broccoli, red bell peppers, green beans, basil and kaffir lime leaves – a carnival of ingredients that somehow find balance. The veggies are crisp and substantial, outsizing the somewhat smashed, but intact, bites of tofu. The curry sauce itself is smooth and buttery, yet unleashes a pleasant kick of spice.

The contrasting sweetness and nutty profile of coconut milk helps tame the spiciness as it builds with each bite, flavors imparted with the help of the tofu.

Basil duck ($15.95) features thin (but not paper-thin) slices of rich and glistening meat in a basil-chili sauce, topped by a generous medley of caramelized onions, red bell peppers, carrots, bamboo shoots, cabbage, jalapeños and, of course, whole basil leaves – Thai basil, most likely, for the savory flavor is muted, yet somehow manages to assert itself just enough throughout.

This is a taste of Thailand. A list of ingredients that goes on and on, seemingly destined to fight it out for supremacy, but somehow finding kinship.

Of course, it just seems wrong to visit a Thai restaurant without ordering the national dish. The kitchen presents pad thai ($8.95-$10.95/lunch special) layered with flavor: savory, earthy with hints of sweetness. The bean sprouts contribute a nice crunchy texture to the dish with the help of the mellow murmur of crushed peanuts. I went with the pork, meaty and juicy slices that hid within the strands of noodles.

Ginger Thai Kitchen is a spacious, orange-walled dining room behind double doors – the open bar just ahead. The restaurant was started by former D’Anna Thai owner Nicharat Sawadpeera and is managed with the help of Paul Phunmanee. D’Anna’s team made the move, Phunmanee says, because they found themselves in need of a much bigger space.

Since the opening not much has changed. Phunmanee says they’ve kept most of the dishes they started with, but they will interchange a few items for new ones, like Kuay Tiew Namh Sai, a clear broth chicken soup with vermicelli, bean sprouts, cilantro and garlic.

To the right of the entrance hangs a portrait of a gold temple sitting along the Chao Phraya river, the name of which I cannot remember but am certain that I visited.

But that was during my trip to Thailand. Now I’m thinking It’s been too long since I last traveled to Ginger Thai Kitchen. This most recent visit was a reminder of what I missed and I’ll be sure that my next one will be sometime much sooner than the last.

GINGER THAI KITCHEN 1104 S. Main St., Salinas. 11am-2:30pm 4:30-8:30pm Tues-Fri, noon-8:30pm Sat-Sun. 422-8424, gingerthaikitchen.com.