Nearly a year had passed since the Ethnic Dining Group was able to continue their treks to discovering new culinary delights. So the timing was perfect when thanks to a tip from my coworker Kami, we made reservations at Thai Tida in Lambertville, NJ. A few weeks earlier, Kami couldn’t stop raving about the restaurant and when I told her Thai was one of my favorite cuisines, she said we MUST go soon. That’s all it took to convince me…

This charming BYO is located conveniently off of North Union Street, where curbside parking is available as well as a large lot behind their building. Although it wasn’t clear the parking was for the restaurant, we took advantage of the space. The restaurant entrance plants you directly into a very small foyer area which doesn’t allow for much room if you have to wait. Luckily we had reservations and were seated promptly at a window table in the single dining area.

Inside, the cozy atmosphere is awash in a maroon color palette with soaring beamed ceilings, industrial pipes and light fixtures, and plenty of room between tables so that you are not in the laps of fellow diners. Oddly, some tables had cloths, such as ours, while many others were bare wood.

I asked our waiter to take a couple of pictures of the 6 of us, yet both times he cropped out Joe on the right.

We had some menu questions addressing a limited diet of one of our companions due to health reasons, but our waiter was not a big help in that area, so he sent what may have been one of the owners to assist us. Through her we learned they use very little oil in their cooking, and certain dishes could be made without any at all.

Russ and Teresa both enjoyed the de-boned Duck Panaeng Curry.

I chose the delicious Pad Ka-Praw, Thai Basil Stir-Fry with fresh Thai basil, onion, shiitake mushroom, vegetables and chicken, with spicy basil brown sauce.

After some catching up and scrutinizing the lengthy vegan, wheat and gluten-free friendly menu, we put in our orders. To be fair, Russ and I eyeballed that menu pretty thoroughly online at home before going out. Once Russ saw the Duck Panaeng Curry his mind was made up—and I was all over the Thai Basil Stir-fry. Most curries and stir-fries come with a choice of vegetarian, chicken, shrimp, beef or pork, with the option of as mild or as spicy as you’d like.

Appetizer Combo for 2—Grilled Chicken Satay, Crispy Siamese Spring Roll, Vegetable and Chicken Wonton with sweet-sour dipping sauce, accompanied with a side of mini-house salad.

An order of Tom Yum Soup with Thai spicy lemongrass, seasoned with chili and lime caught the attention of Maria Odilia. While Joe feasted on Tom Jued Tao Hou, a lightly flavor clear soup with tofu and vegetables. Perfect for vegan, but can be ordered with chicken or shrimp (not pictured.)

For starters they offer numerous appetizers, soups, and an extensive selection of salads. A few of the diners started with soup or salad, but Russ and I couldn’t decide so we opted for the Appetizer Combo for 2, and shared with the whole table. While most of the combo items were very good, we were most fascinated with the delicious mini-salad and plan to order that alone next time.

Maria Odilia loved her sweet and aromatic Kaeng Kua Pupparod – Pineapple Curry which was a marvelous red curry with coconut milk based with pineapple and vegetables.

Steve enjoyed the Vegetable Pad Thai—a grand mix of textures and tastes with stir-fried rice noodles, bean sprouts, scallions and crushed peanuts, with homemade Pad Thai sauce.

Their offerings are extremely affordable with generous portions. And I can’t say enough about how good our meals were! Yes, there is no doubt we will be back—hopefully very soon… Thanks Kami for the tip! I know without a doubt, Thai Tida will become one of our go-to restaurants when we have a hankering for Thai cuisine.