Chadar Thai
My friend calls this place “Shandra Thai,” which aesthetically is a better sounding name, until you begin associating it with Shandra Levy, the poor woman who went missing a couple of years ago. But whether you call it “Chadar” (which means crown in Thai) or “Shandra,” the food here is good.
I am not sure of the whole story, but the family behind this new restaurant (off W Broad Street, across from the Wawa, and the venerable Thai Diner), have a connection with the old Richmond stand-by. I am not sure if they’re involved in both, or made a break from the other. Any way, I like both places, but I’d wager that Chadar is ahead in taste.
I can’t say the same for the decor. I am not sure even how to describe the decor. There are strong neon-blue signs in the front, and a lot of wood in the back. But it does go to show, you can have a beautiful space that does nothing for food. Or, you could have a lackluster dining room, and great food. Chadar, over three visits, has not disappointed.
My first two visits here were odd in that it was very quiet. Quiet as in… not a lot of customers, and “quiet” in that no one was making a lot of noise. The waiter was a very soft-spoken man, who I think, must have worked in a library in a previous career. His soft voice must encourage everyone to converse in hushed tones. It is the only explanation I have as to why things were so quiet.
The food, however, is not “quiet.” When they advertise spice, they deliver. I have had several of their noodle dishes and was pleased each time. The only suspect dish we got was a vegetarian “mock” duck, that was in fact, real duck. We didn’t care, as we are not vegetarians, but if a real vegetarian ordered this, and got real duck, they would have been disappointed.
Food this good deserves to be eaten. Chadar’s location and decor might put it out of favor for some, but I hope your experience here is as flavorful as mine have been, to date.
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