Like many we were a little concerned about the directions getting there. Seemed like we were being taken to a not so good place. The strip mall is closed in and so the outside of the mall looks like an abandoned warehouse area. Fear not. Make the turn into the mall which is mid block and takes you into the u shaped mall.
Arawan has been open a year and it will not disappoint. Truly the best Thai I have ever had. I have had Thai in many restaurants in Seattle, Hawaii, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Now I have a reason to go to Las Vegas. I am not a Vegas person so this restaurant is my pull to go. Soooooooo delicious.
After we are seated waters are brought to the table with slices of strawberries in them. Now that is a nice change from lemon slices. We are given fried wontons with dipping sauce to start. My main entrée is my all time favorite and the one dish I eat to determine if the place is good or not. I rate by the Phad Thai. I have had dry and wet Phad Thai. Many places use powdered Tamarind which is the main ingredient for Phad Thai. It's like spaghetti sauce only tangy. I am a purest and prefer the wet Tamarind paste or juice. The powder is just awful an feels like it's mixed with chili powder which usually tells me it's not being made authentically. The Phad Thai arrives in an unusual egg striped pancake which was made first by drizzling egg across the wok, then removed to make the Phad Thai. Then the Phad Thai is placed inside the egg striped pancake to create a dome. Such a pleasure to see food presented in such an unusual way. The curry my husband ordered had such depth of flavor that takes days for the broth to build. Then comes the dessert. Oh My! An absolute feast for you eyes. Coconut ice cream with slivers of young coconut mixed in then set in a semi sweet coconut milk topped with a lovely cookie Tuile. I would go back for this as well. An amazing dinner and dessert.