W Thai Chef Thriving in downtown Kaysville

W Thai Chef opened in Kaysville in January, and so far business is good.

“A lot of people are coming in, without any marketing or advertising,” said owner Winai Ketbot. “It’s spreading through word of mouth.”

And, he added, the story I did for the Standard-Examiner helped a bit, too.

“We had people coming in saying they saw us in the newspaper,” he said.

I was sad when the Sweet Cake gluten-free bakery moved from the Second North strip mall to Bountiful’s Main Street last year. But, then when I’d drive by, I’d see signs of activity in the vacant space, just two doors down from David’s Pizza. Kaysville social media pages were buzzing about the new Thai restaurant that was supposed to be coming.

  Winai Ketbot said he chose the location because there weren’t any Thai restaurants in Kaysville. “Also, I like the small-town feeling here.”

  Some facts about the restaurant:

 -The “W” in the restaurant’s name stands for the owner’s first name, Winai.

 – Originally from Thailand, Winai Ketbot first came to Utah in 2002 as a Buddhist missionary.

 – He earned a degree from the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Las Vegas in 2005 and 2006. Then he worked at his mother’s restaurant, Pad Thai in Layton, with his brother.

  – He decided to open his own restaurant because, he loves cooking and wants to succeed in his own business.

“I believe my cooking will be delicious for a customer,” he said.

  – It’s a cozy space, with seating for about 18 people. But most of the business is takeout, Ketbot said. That’s probably a good thing, since there’s limited parking in front, shared with JoJo’s Pet Palace, .

 – Customers place their orders and pay through a self-service kiosk in near the front counter. (If you are paying with cash, you should order at the counter.)

 – Important to know: While ordering on the kiosk, look for the “special instructions” area. This is where you can type in your desired heat level. If you like hot and spicy, go for it! If you like it mild, be sure to state your preference.

   It’s a fairly small menu of Thai classics. There are some vegetarian and gluten-free choices.

  “We kept it small so we could execute it well,” Winai Ketbot said.

  Some of the dishes you’ll find:

• Pad Ka Pao, one of the restaurant’s signature dishes. It’s a spicy stir-fry with a choice of protein (chicken, tofu, pork, beef, shrimp or a combination), plus basil, bell pepper and onion. It’s served with a mound of rice topped with a “crisp” fried egg. 
• Papaya salad Ketbot’s original creations. It’s a mix of papaya, carrot, peanuts, green beans and lime juice, for $9.95. You can also get a pork or beef salad, which both have tomatoes, cucumber, onion, green onion, lettuce, lime juice and carrot.
• Pad Thai, the familiar stir-fried rice noodle dish, contains green onion, egg, and bean sprouts.
• Drunken Noodles is a best-seller. Despite the name, there’s no alcohol involved. It has egg, onion, carrot, basil, bell pepper, broccoli and tomato, over rice noodles.
• Fried rice comes in several versions. Thai Fried Rice has onion, green onion, egg, peas and carrot. Basil Fried Rice is spicy, with onion, green onion, egg, pea, carrot, basil and bell pepper. Pineapple Fried rice has onion, green onion, egg, pineapple, peas, carrot, cashews. There’s a choice of protein to go in it: Chicken, tofu and pork are $9.95; beef and shrimp, $11.95; and the combo of beef, chicken and pork, is $13.95.
• You’ll also find two soups — Tom Yum Shrimp, and Tom Kha Chicken. One of my friends who ordered the Tom Kha Chicken soup told me it was great, and I’ll have to try it next time.
• There are three curries: red, green or pineapple.  Both the red and green curry have bamboo shoots, basil, zucchini and bell pepper. The pineapple curry has pineapple and basil. You can choose the protein (chicken, tofu, pork, beef, or shrimp), or do without.
• Golden Bags are the most popular appetizer —wonton wrappers stuffed with cream cheese. Also known as “money bags” or “golden purses,” Ketbot said these are a tradition for Thai family parties and celebrations, and can be stuffed with crab or other ingredients.

   “It’s for success, a lucky food,” he said. “I make them myself.” 

• For a sweet ending to your meal, there’s the classic Mango Sticky Rice — short-grain rice that’s sweetened and flavored with coconut milk.

   Location: 237 W. 200 North, Kaysville

  Contact: Winai told me he has a new website, but the address he gave me doesn’t work — maybe it’s not online yet. I couldn’t locate a Facebook page either. So contact them the old-fashioned way, by phone at 801-544-6599.

  Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. Closed Sunday.

  Price range: $5 to $13.95