Can Charm Thai Eatery charm in Vancouver’s crowded Thai scene?

For food lovers, Japan is an epiphany, a collection of sights, smells, flavours and feelings that leaves you breathless.

The second trip to Tokyo this May was an epiphany for a different reason. It was a realization that while Japanese food reigns supreme, it’s the neighbouring Asian countries' food that I crave. The acid, sugar and heat of Vietnam, the rich, decadent curries of Thailand, the numbing spice of Szechuan in China.

Thai food especially hits all the notes, and our city is blessed with an ever-expanding roster. A popular Thai spot in Hong Kong — I visited it before Tokyo — barely matched up to the casual spots in Vancouver. 

Zab Zaab is one such place, a mid-priced spot offering Thai dishes executed exceptionally well. The Noodle Pad Kee Mao was divine, with the intense flavour that can only come from proper wok technique. Thai Ni Yom is another spot with curries that scream to be devoured. Or maybe the streaming is because of the spice level. 

Charm Thai in Kitsilano, at 3293 W 4th Ave., joins the city’s Thai scene, from the same team at Michelin-recognized Zab Bites (no relation to Zab Zaab). It’s part of a broader expansion for the restaurant, including a new spot at Bentall Centre.

Hidden down a few stairs, the front belies the depth of space, an airy, cavernous dining area, with ample room between each table. It’s a perfect place for a birthday party or group visit.

Given Zab Bites’ popularity, I had high hopes for the dishes. The restaurant dishes touch most Thai regions, with the bold spicy flavours of Northeast Isaan and pineapple fried rice of the South, but focuses on the food of Central and Northeastern Thailand.

Miang kham is something I hadn’t seen at other Thai restaurants, and the restaurant told me over email that it’s relatively uncommon in Vancouver. Small dishes of different toppings — peanuts, garlic, pungent ginger, rice, and coconut powder — are heaped onto a Gailan leaf. It’s like a little sweet and spicy green taco. 

The secret to the dish is the sauce. Consisting strongly of palm sugar and other ingredients that I was told were a secret, it’s a perfect encapsulation of what makes Thai food so addictive.

The laab moo bites are a unique dish at Charm. Inspired by laab, the traditional pork salad, with mint, lime juice, fish sauce, and herbs, Charm takes the same dish, turns it into balls and deep fries the outer meat.

It’s texturally sound, with a crispy outside and soft inside. On its own, it’s a fine dish, but if you enjoy laab as I do, the dish feels flat, missing the typical intense flavour of lime and fish sauce. Some sort of dipping sauce might help with that.

Goong ob woon sen is a robust vermicelli noodle dish braised or baked, with prawns, ginger, garlic and coriander root, cooked with smoky bacon or pork belly that infuses the whole dish. It’s one that illustrates Chinese influence in the cuisine. Prawns are layered on top, and everything is traditionally cooked together in a claypot. 

It’s a dish worth getting, purely for how the noodles eat up the rest of the flavours. Those who dislike pork or bacon flavour should stay away, as the flavours infuse the noodles. With my dish, the prawns were slightly overdone, though still flavourful.

Rarely do front-of-house teams get the recognition they deserve. Led by Prim that day, they were all attentive throughout the meal, answering my questions no matter how insistent I was.

While there were some misses based on the dishes I tried, Charm has enough Charm (yes, I went there) and unique dishes to set itself up well in the neighbourhood. It’s a reminder of how lucky we are to have so many Thai options throughout the city.