Sandar`s Thai Garden

Met up with Toolman again for lunch. We decided to avoid Indian food this time, since it seems like that's all we eat when we meet. However, as I have said before, there is a good selection of Indian restaurants out here in North Delta/Surrey. I'm slowly picking off every restaurant that exists on Scott Road (120th). Up next on my radar was Sandar's Thai Garden. I've read quite a few positive comments regarding this place and I was eager to try it. As I was pulling up the restaurant, which is in the same complex as Futureshop, I saw a choice parking spot. I signaled and was just about to pull in when out of nowhere another SUV stole it! Wait a minute, I'm not in Richmond am I? Instead of wasting my energy on rude people like that, I just parked in another space and went my merry way.

Sandar's is not a very big restaurant, there are no more than 8 tables in total. However, they are not packed that tightly together; thus we were quite comfortable. There was a lady that served us and she was wearing what looked like a shower cap. I'm not joking, it looked like a shower cap. The only thing I can surmise is that she was preparing food in the kitchen and she really wasn't suppose to be at the front-of-the-house. Well, at least we felt good that we wouldn't have any hair in our food.

The lunch menu is pretty simple, it consists of 13 choices which included either a Tom Yum soup or green salad with one spring roll for $8.99. I chose to have the old standby, Pad Thai with shrimp. Toolman chose the Pad Ped, which is chicken, beef or pork in chili sauce with bamboo shoots and basil with rice. The tom yum was essentially broth with diced mushrooms on top. I really liked the soup, it was a good balance of lime, lemongrass and fish sauce. No one flavour overpowered the other. The spring roll was hot and crispy. Despite being a fried, it was light tasting and the filling was mild.

When the Pad Thai arrived, I was surprised by the decent portion size. Moreover, I knew right away that it was going to be good since the colour was not an unnatural red. Rather, it was coloured a pale reddish-brown which is an indication that there isn't an overuse of ketchup. There were lots of tofu, egg and shrimp in the rice noodles (done a nice al dente) which was topped with carrots, bean sprouts and peanuts. Mixed together, this Pad Thai really worked with good contrast in textures. In addition, the cold-water shrimp had good crunch and were not overcooked. The pad ped was also very good. The sauce was a good mix of sweet, salty and a bit of spice. All the items were cooked perfectly, with the vegetables still crisp and the chicken being tender. Again, there was more than enough food on the plate for one person. Since we ate before noon, we were the only table there and the service was very good. I guess it'd better be! We thought that the food was both decent and a good value. If you are in the area, Sandar's Thai Garden is a good option.

The Good:
- Food tastes how it should taste
- Personable service (showercap withstanding)
- Clean

The Bad:
- Small restaurant, not good for groups larger than 4

Sandar's Thai Garden
#105 - 7500 120th Street
Surrey, B.C.
604-599-5612

Business Hours:
11:30am - 2:30pm, 5:00pm - 9:00pm (Tue - Sat)
5:00pm - 9:00pm (Sun)