The best pad Thai in a new Thai pad

Turning a sow’s ear into a Thai silk purse has been the project of A and Nan Itti since they acquired the space left by the old Village Deli and Liquor store in South Laguna.

The addition of potted plants, a fountain and a small dining patio have made the exterior of Laguna Thai By the Sea more inviting.

Inside, a mirrored wall and white tablecloths have dressed up this very modest, little neighborhood café. It’s far from romantic, but the gentle charm of the place makes you feel at home. Just ignore the large deli case by the door.

Although the decor may never win prizes for interior design, the cuisine is a serious contender for the best Thai in Orange County and a great bargain.

Why is this food so special?

“It’s how much heart you put in the plate,” says A, the executive chef. (A’s brother, B, and their father, Mike, own Thai Bros. in downtown Laguna. They also have a cousin named C who lives in Bangkok.)

“My real secret,” A says, “is to use the best products.” He calls his style of Thai cooking “home gourmet” because he learned it from his mother.

Our young waitress was as darling and sweet as she could be even though, as usual, we spent a lot of time deciding what to eat. We began with the classic tom yum soup with shrimp. The perfect, pristine broth was agreeably tart and superbly spiced.

The vegetables were tossed in at the last minute so they retained their flavor and crunchiness.

Next came the geow za (gyoza). These pan-fried dumplings, chock full of chicken and cabbage, were crisp on the bottom without any greasiness, which is very rare. Strewn over them were delicious deep-fried garlic bits and the ubiquitous julienne of cabbage and carrots. A piquant dipping sauce was the final touch to this deftly executed dish.

Bong are crispy, fried-rice paper shells rolled around a bland shrimp and avocado stuffing. They depend on their sweet and spicy dipping sauce for flavor. The por pia are similar but have a little mixed vegetable filling. They are both like Thai taquitos, mostly about crunch since the fillings are uninteresting, Once again, we have a bed of shredded cabbage and carrots .

The excellent and very generous salads can easily be a meal on their own. They all have a base of romaine, carrots, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, slivers of tender lemongrass and Thai basil in a very light sweet and spicy lime dressing.

Yum gai has an ample portion of sliced chicken breast with cashews and peanuts; yum nue has grilled slices of steak; and yum talay has seafood ? shrimp, mussels, squid and scallops. These are the best versions that we have tasted in any Thai restaurant, distinguished by the wonderfully fresh ingredients.

It was so difficult to choose from among the 24 entrées, but since pad Thai is the national dish of Thailand, we felt it was a must. Once again we were delighted with the chef’s light hand. This rice noodle dish is often overly sauced, greasy and soggy. Not here.

The underlying principle of Thai cooking is to balance the combination of salty, sweet and sour flavors. The sauce in this pad Thai was perfect and the noodles were chock full of shrimp, tofu, onion, scrambled egg, ground peanuts and bean sprouts tossed in at the very end so they retained their texture.

Our decision on our second entrée was based on the fact that, after noodles, coconut milk curries are the second most dominant category on Thai menus. Since we both enjoy green curry best, we chose kang keow whan with chicken. As presented here, it is a vegetable festival, including cabbage, red bell peppers, broccoli, yellow squash, eggplant, bamboo shoots and Thai basil.

This is not to say that they skimped on the chicken. It was obvious that every vegetable was added to the mélange at the optimal moment so that each was cooked flawlessly. And what a sauce; such a satisfying blend of lush flavors, velvety texture and complex spices.

For peanut sauce fans, there is rama chicken, a tender chicken breast on a bed of spinach, topped with an excellent peanut sauce. Also very popular is drunken rice or noodles, your choice of fried rice or wide-rice noodles stir fried with chicken, pork, shrimp and vegetables in a spicy basil sauce. We look forward to dining here enough times to go through the entire menu.

A word about spiciness: Always an issue for Americans in Thai restaurants. We found that the level of spiciness here was particularly well-calibrated to our palates, but everybody is different and so they provide a lovely tray with little ceramic pots of condiments. These include green chilies in fish sauce (a thin salty sauce made from anchovies); green chilies in vinegar; crushed red pepper flakes; and red chili sauce. These are pretty powerful, so take a tiny taste before adding too much.

There is no question that good ingredients and “heart on the plate” make a big difference but we’d like to add that the deft touch of the kitchen staff makes this tiny little spot a very special place.cpt.28-gossipgourmet-CPhotoInfoGP1QCMHT20060428iycsgsncJAMIE FLANAGAN / Laguna Coastline Pilot(LA)thai noodles with shrimp, left, and ga rhee gai (chicken curry) are two of the most popular dishes served at Laguna Thai By the Sea.