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Restaurant Review: Viva Thai

By Laurie on March 22, 2007

I’m a huge fan of Thai food and when a co-worker suggested we try Viva Thai I didn’t need much persuasion.  Viva Thai is in a strip mall shopping center off of Maynard in Cary – an area that has a quite varied array of international offerings.  It’s a sort of no frills atmosphere but you’re there for the food not the frills.   

We chose our selections from the lunch menu  ($6.50 + tax and beverage).  Pud (Pad) Thai was a favorite with 2 orders going for the regular (no spicy) and 1 (mine) going for the medium spicy.  The fourth in our party got Stir Fried Tahi Meal (Pud Prig).  There is a pepper scale at the bottom of the menu.  1 pepper is denoted as “mild”.  Our experience is that a 1 pepper dish is mildly spicy.  My 2 pepper “medium” pad thai was delicious with a sinus-clearing heat that built as I consumed the dish.  For those who crave spicier there is a 3 pepper HOT option and those with asbestos lined mouths can brave the 4 pepper “thai hot” dish.  The faint of heart should stick to the dishes with no pepper rating or specify NO spice. 

Dishes are cooked to order and you can request your preferred spice level for all dishes.  Another dish that has been recommended at Viva Thai is the Spicy Basil Noodle (1 pepper).   I look forward to a return to trip to Viva Thai for dinner — I’ve got my eye on the Thai Three Flavor Fish.

Viva Thai 1401-L S.E. Maynard Rd, Cary, NC  (919)388-8338

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Posted in , | 10 Responses

  • Terry

    Laurie,
    Please excuse me, not trying to be rude, but in the future, if you write another restaurant review, would you please be more informative? Two paragraphs about the spice meter at a Thai restaurant tells us nothing about the actual food, flavors, ingredients, atmosphere (although you did mention “no frills), decor, etc. Was it served traditionally, or did it have unique ingredients? Was it comparable to other Thai, better or worst? Why during a restaurant review would three people at the same table all order the same dish, instead of all 4 of you trying 4 dishes so you could have more to comment about, compare and contrast? Nothing in your review makes me want to go try it. The thing about food and restaurants is that they should be appetizing to the mouth, eyes, nose, all our senses. And those senses should be conveyed when you write a restaurant review. Sadly, your review misses out in all these areas.

  • Terry

    Laurie,
    Please excuse me, not trying to be rude, but in the future, if you write another restaurant review, would you please be more informative? Two paragraphs about the spice meter at a Thai restaurant tells us nothing about the actual food, flavors, ingredients, atmosphere (although you did mention “no frills), decor, etc. Was it served traditionally, or did it have unique ingredients? Was it comparable to other Thai, better or worst? Why during a restaurant review would three people at the same table all order the same dish, instead of all 4 of you trying 4 dishes so you could have more to comment about, compare and contrast? Nothing in your review makes me want to go try it. The thing about food and restaurants is that they should be appetizing to the mouth, eyes, nose, all our senses. And those senses should be conveyed when you write a restaurant review. Sadly, your review misses out in all these areas.

  • http://profile.typekey.com/chrisjam/ Chris

    Terry–
    I don’t want to speak for Laurie here, but I think you’re being a bit harsh. Please understand that Raleighing is strictly a labor of love for all of us. No money is given to any of our writers (we don’t even reimburse money spent on a meal featured in a review). So, my guess is that the folks eating with Laurie were simply her friends or coworkers with whom she was just having a normal lunch. Therefore, who was she to dictate what they each ordered?
    Also, none of us are food critics. We just share our thoughts with whomever wishes to read them. While I am flattered with your expectations for this site, I think you might be misunderstanding who we are and what we’re trying to do here.
    Just my two cents.
    Chris
    Owner/Editor of Raleighing

  • http://profile.typekey.com/chrisjam/ Chris

    Terry–
    I don’t want to speak for Laurie here, but I think you’re being a bit harsh. Please understand that Raleighing is strictly a labor of love for all of us. No money is given to any of our writers (we don’t even reimburse money spent on a meal featured in a review). So, my guess is that the folks eating with Laurie were simply her friends or coworkers with whom she was just having a normal lunch. Therefore, who was she to dictate what they each ordered?
    Also, none of us are food critics. We just share our thoughts with whomever wishes to read them. While I am flattered with your expectations for this site, I think you might be misunderstanding who we are and what we’re trying to do here.
    Just my two cents.
    Chris
    Owner/Editor of Raleighing

  • Laurie

    Terry,
    The response by Chris was spot on.
    Laurie

  • Laurie

    Terry,
    The response by Chris was spot on.
    Laurie

  • Terry

    Spot on? Hmmm, perhaps or perhaps not. While I can appreciate free labor and no expense reports, (been there, done that) all I’m saying is the restaurant articles posted regarding Hereghty’s, South, Heron’s, Poole’s, Angus Barn, etc. seemed well written, thoughtful and informational; and as you can see by the many comments that followed each one, created ongoing dialog about the restaurant, food, and patronage, while the article about the Thai place did not. I think this is what your blog is about…creating dialog about interesting places and happenings in Raleigh.
    As I’ve been reading this blog for the past 1 1/2 years, and seen the nasty comments that went along with everyone’s speculations about the future of Raleighing, I was certainly not trying to contribute to it. Simply saying that substance matters over volume. Although I am sure there are those that would argue to the contrary.
    You have a great site here! Thanks for all your hard work, Chris!

  • Terry

    Spot on? Hmmm, perhaps or perhaps not. While I can appreciate free labor and no expense reports, (been there, done that) all I’m saying is the restaurant articles posted regarding Hereghty’s, South, Heron’s, Poole’s, Angus Barn, etc. seemed well written, thoughtful and informational; and as you can see by the many comments that followed each one, created ongoing dialog about the restaurant, food, and patronage, while the article about the Thai place did not. I think this is what your blog is about…creating dialog about interesting places and happenings in Raleigh.
    As I’ve been reading this blog for the past 1 1/2 years, and seen the nasty comments that went along with everyone’s speculations about the future of Raleighing, I was certainly not trying to contribute to it. Simply saying that substance matters over volume. Although I am sure there are those that would argue to the contrary.
    You have a great site here! Thanks for all your hard work, Chris!

  • Aaron

    There is an amazing dish there called (I think) Pineapple Fried Rice. You have GOT to try it. Amazing.

  • Aaron

    There is an amazing dish there called (I think) Pineapple Fried Rice. You have GOT to try it. Amazing.