Talking about Buddha Thai Bistro

10. What's the most popular dish?

Pad Thai.

…why is that?

Because we make really good Pad Thai! We make it the traditional way, wrapped in an omelette. That's how it was served to the king in Thailand. It was called Royal Pad Thai. The omelette is called the Golden Wrapper. We prepare ours the same way when we serve it to our customers.

11. What's your favorite dish?

I like a lot of things. Hmmm…if I have to pick one it would be the Kra Pow - a spicy dish, stir fried with chicken, holy basil, bell pepper, chills, garlic, eggplant and onions. It's really simple and is one of the most common street foods in Thailand - like a hamburger in North America. People eat it everywhere in Thailand - often with a fried egg on top.



12. Where do you get your recipes?

Most of our recipes come from the Thai culture and from my experience cooking in Thailand and at our Thai restaurants in California.

13. What brought you from L.A. to Jacksonville?

I originally moved here to go to school and fell in love with Jacksonville Beach and the local community. When I started looking around I noticed that there weren't a lot of local Thai restaurants owned by Thai people. Most Thai restaurants in the area are owned by Laotians, who make good Thai food but not in the authentic way that it's done in places like L.A. So we saw an opportunity to bring an authentic Thai food experience to Jacksonville.

14. What attracted you to your restaurant location in Jacksonville Beach?

When I originally moved to Jacksonville I tried to come to the Beach all the time because I really liked it. And I really like the community itself. It's small, but everyone tries to support each other. It's a special little community.


15. What's the connection between Buddha Thai Bistro and Buddha's Belly restaurant?

Buddha's Belly was the original name we gave to our restaurant when we first opened. When we tried to trademark the name "Buddha's Belly" we realized there were other people using the name and it became too difficult to make our own. So we changed to Buddha Thai Bistro to have an identity that could be uniquely ours. The owners and the menu are the same, only the name changed.