Thai Gulf is well-hidden in a small strip mall on Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach. Upon first arrival in the parking lot, you may initially be disappointed. It doesn’t look like much, but fear not, friends; you’ve just stumbled upon the best Thai food in Orange County. Outside, the windows are plastered with pictures of Thai food and advertisements of the dishes within that just don’t do them justice. But once you step inside, the garish HB strip mall quality is lost. The tiny corner shop has only 6 or 7 tables. The decor is nice, inviting and bright but the small LCD T.V. in the corner, permanently tuned to a Thai home shopping network, is a bit annoying. The owner is an amusing little man named John who seems to live to please his customers and the kitchen generally boasts only one cook at any given time. Show up anytime near the conventional lunch or dinner hours and you’ll be in for quite a wait. I’ve found that the best time to go is right around 11am on a Saturday morning or 8-9pm on a Saturday night. If you’re a regular, you’ll often be greeted with a pitcher of Thai tea, served a complimentary appetizer of soup and salad, some frozen fruit with housemade ice cream for dessert. Even if you’re not a regular, you’ll usually still get a free cup of soup and some green tea or coconut ice cream for dessert. And more often than not, you’ll be sent home with an armload of goodies.

When you visit, make sure you try the Kang Ped. It’s a red curry dish with coconut milk, peas, carrots, bamboo shoots, eggplant, and your choice of meat (we chose beef) served over steamed white rice. The red curry has just the right amount of heat and spice, and it’s perfectly balanced with the earthy richness of the coconut milk. It worked very well as leftovers for lunch the next day, too. It feels like a crime not to mention the typical Thai favorites, such as Pad Thai, Pad See-Ew, Garlic Chicken and Golden Wings. I tried these, too, and each dish was immaculate. The rice noodles in the Pad Thai were perfectly limp, and the Tamarind sauce was amazingly fragrant. The Garlic chicken was tender, flavorful and wonderfully glazed with garlicky goodness. Our order of Golden Wings (often called Angel Wings in other Thai restaurants) were perfectly crisped, stuffed and served with a sweet, refreshing cucumber sauce.

Have I mentioned the pricepoint? This is very likely the most well-priced food in Orange County. Most dishes are around $7 and you can even get a lunch or dinner special including soup, salad and egg rolls for under $10. All in all, in my Thai adventures so far, Thai Gulf ranks at the top. They get high marks for service, presentation, preparation and traditionally prepared Thai food. I hated writing this piece for two reasons. One, I don’t want the place to get any more crowded. If you don’t know how to work the schedule, it can already be tough to get a seat without a wait. And two, it made me hungry.