BY PAUL REID

4902 Joyce Street at Wellington, Vancouver
604-428-4448
Dine in/Take out
Free Delivery from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm within 2 kilometres with minimum $25 purchase
Open Tuesday to Sunday: 11:30 am – 9:00 pm

Greetings food fans. It brings me great pleasure to share with you the goodness that is Thai Escape. Opened in October 2013, Thai Escape is owned and operated by the team of Pierre Allen and his wife, Jutamat. And if you haven’t heard it yet, let it be known: Thai Escape rocks!

Pierre was our friendly host, making us feel comfortable and providing excellent service while Jutamat worked her magic in the kitchen. An authentic Thai chef with years of experience, I urge all Renfrew-Collingwood community members to treat yourself to Jutamat’s masterful cooking.

We started with the Thai Spring Rolls — deep-fried rolls stuffed with bean vermicelli noodle and veggies; served with homemade plum sauce ($5). Next was what turned out to be one of my favourite soups in this whole wide world — Tom Kah, a hot and sour soup with coconut milk, mushrooms, lemongrass, kaffir, lime leaves, galangal, green onions and cilantro (Large $9.00).

And for the main course, Cashew Nut Stir Fry with roasted cashew nuts, bell peppers, onions, green onions and roasted chili (your choice of chicken, beef, tofu or vegetable — $11). Everything tasted fresh and truly out-of-this-world delectable.

Pierre shared with me his round-the-world adventure of how he and Jutamat met and wound up in Vancouver. Pierre grew up in a small mining town in Quebec with his grandparents. He later became a forestry technician. In 2001, following the re-election of George Bush Junior, Pierre felt it was time to evacuate the continent. He journeyed to Europe and embarked on a 3,000-km journey from Paris to Spain, stopping along the way to work odd jobs. From there he made it to Switzerland where one day Pierre came across a Lonely Planet guide book for Thailand. This inspired the next leg of his journey. Instead of walking however, this time Pierre sprung for air transportation.

On his third day in Thailand, Pierre found work in a day spa where he worked for the next year. Following the spa’s closure, Pierre headed for Chiang Mai in the North where he began teaching French. And finally, Pierre met the love of his life there in his language class, Jutamat, and they eventually married and came to Vancouver.

So, great food (at reasonable prices), excellent service; I’d also like to give a quick nod to the decor — which is nice and features the beauty of Thailand. Also, you get a view of the North Shore mountains as an added bonus. For these fine reasons, I see no excuse for Thai Escape not to become a great enduring hit with us here in RC.

Bon appetit.

Copyright (c) 2014 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News