It seems that these days there’s a food truck for just about everything: tacos, burgers, hot dogs, “American” Chinese, phở and even lobster and risotto. This did not lessen my excitement a bit when I heard a new truck was serving pad thai.
Pad thai is a staple of Thai cuisine, but depending on the quality of ingredients and preparation, it can range from a tangy, flavorful wonderland to a gloppy, bland mess. Thankfully, Pad Thai Box’s offering is closer to the former.
The first thing that struck me was the “$5” price note painted on the side of the truck. The second thing I noticed were the small metal containers of fresh mint, shredded cabbage and carrots by the window. This was a good sign. True to the sign on the truck, no dish was more expensive than $5, and the use of the fresh ingredients made the spring rolls and pad thai shine.
The young owner, who seemed a little shy, would only give his name as “Bo.” He recently relocated to Houston from Boston and most recently worked at a Japanese restaurant. When asked why he started a food truck, he said, “I wanted to open a restaurant, but I can’t afford it. I rented this truck instead.”
Bo is doing a good job. Once our order was in, it took a mere five minutes to have lunch in our hands.
Pad thai is too often served without a sufficient amount of sauce to bathe the noodles with flavor, but that was not the case here. It was not “saucy” (nor should it be), but there was plenty of tamarind-laced goodness to go around. Shrimp can normally be substituted for chicken for an additional $1; regrettably, Pad Thai Box was out of shrimp when we dropped by.
The iced Thai coffee was not bad, but could use a stronger coffee hit. It had a pleasant caramel flavor that was slightly too sweet for our tastes.
Spring rolls were good, but a little heavy on cabbage. That’s great if you are watching your waistline; not so great if you’re hoping for something more substantial. (On the other hand, at $2 for two rolls, it’s still a bargain.) More impressive was the dipping sauce that was sweet, salty and tangy all at once. I wanted to add a bit to the pad thai because it was so good.
If a food establishment uses a specific dish as part of its business name, it seems reasonable that this is what it should do best. Pad Thai Box lived up to this notion. Its namesake was the best thing we ordered.
If you need to eat on the run, this is probably not your best bet. For all of our sakes, please don’t try to dip a spring roll or maneuver a forkful of noodles on the road. However, if you are on a mission to get something worthwhile to take back to your home or office, this is a great new option for the Greenway Plaza area.
Pad Thai Box is open for lunch 11:30 am to 3 pm Monday through Saturday, currently at a vacant lot just down the street from Ragin’ Cajun. The street address is 4222 Richmond. They have also just started dinner service at 5 pm, most recently at The Fairview at 315 Fairview Street.
Updates on the truck’s hours and location can be found on Twitter @padthaibox. Visit the website at www.padthaibox.com for the current menu.