Community Corner
Review: Min's Makes the Best Mee Grob
La Cañada food reviewer Sue Stauffer dishes on Thai treats at Min's Kitchen.
I have been enjoying the wonderful food of Toi Vanasin at since it opened in 1977.
This restaurant started as a tiny place next door to the Lady Bug Boutique with its aged green booths and broken springs that introduced me to the delicious Thai cuisine. Today, not many people remember the rough beginnings of this very popular La Canada restaurant, which extensively remodeled the space and added a 300 square-foot kitchen.
Min’s still continues to make the ever popular dishes for which it has become famous.
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The hot and sour soup with shrimp or chicken that is quite spicy and packed with flavor is a popular favorite. (To some it is well known as “hangover soup.”) Another excellent dish is Mee Grob (sweetened crispy fried rice noodles). No other Thai restaurant makes Mee Grob as good as Min’s in my opinion.
The Thai toast is also a lovely appetizer, a blend of shrimp and chicken that is spread over bread, deep-fried and served with cucumber salad. For presentation, the shrimp in a golden basket is beautiful as well as flavorful. The Larb chicken salad is refreshingly spiced with mint, onions, lime juice, and crushed peppers and the Nam Sod, ground chicken breast mixed with onions, shredded ginger, lime juice and chili is delicious.
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Another favorite at Min’s Kitchen is Pad Thai noodles with pork and shrimp wrapped in a thin egg omelet. Other entrees to try include spicy roasted duck , BBQ chicken, Pad Gra Tiem (for garlic lovers), which is slices of marinated meat cooked with lots of garlic pepper sauce and Pad Plik King, fresh string beans sautéed with your choice of beef, chicken or pork. For seafood, the curry mussels are excellent and the lemon prawns are great.
You can order your food hot, spicy, mild or medium to fit your taste. There is a selection of Thai beers and beverages to enhance your meal.
Min’s Kitchen is open Monday-Thursday 11:00 am-9:30 pm. Friday 11:00 am-10:00 pm. Saturday 12:00 pm-10:00 pm and Sunday 12:00 pm-9:oo pm. There is limited parking behind the restaurant or on the street. All major credit cards are accepted. For reservations, call (818) 790-6074. Read “Heads Up” and other restaurant reviews at www.columnsfromstauffer.com or at www.lacanadaoutlook.com
