With all the running around preparing for Christmas Eve dinner and time with family, sometimes you want to go out and have someone else prepare your food, serve you, and clean up. Can anyone relate?
That was us on Christmas day this year. On US holidays, the open restaurants tend to be Asian, so what a perfect opportunity to visit Tuk Tuk Thai, a local Thai street food restaurant that has been on my list for a while.
Some may not see an Asian restaurant as essential to our Sonoran food landscape. And technically, they'd be correct. However, I believe enjoying food from other cultures is also important; I just wrote a blog post about this. Some of the reasons I describe in that post are exploring cultural richness, creating personal growth, and growing global connectivity.
So, locally-owned restaurants that may not use familiar ingredients are helpful to self-growth and the local economy.
So hello, Tuk Tuk! If you don't know (mom didn't!), a Tuk Tuk (pronounced Took Took) is a three-wheeled motorized vehicle used as a taxi seen throughout Thai and Indian cities.
As you walk in (the Campbell location), you'll notice written on the wall that Tuk Tuk serves small plates family style, which I love.
One of the first things I noticed on the menu was they serve free refills (dine-in only) on Thai iced tea and Thai iced coffee! This is the first time I have seen this, and I have often enjoyed Thai iced tea and wished this to be true. So when you come, drink up!
I ordered one of my favorite Thai dishes, Pad See Eew with Chicken, which is stir-fried chicken with wide rice noodles, egg, and Chinese broccoli. This is a typical Thai dish and one I often get at a new Thai place I'm trying (similar to the carne asada test at new Mexican restaurants). If the Pad See Eew isn't good, it indicates that little else will be.
But this was good! The flavor was rich, and those wide noodles were perfect! I planned on taking some home for dinner, but it was too good not to eat it all!
My mom ordered the Som Tum Thai salad, a green papaya salad with green beans, peanuts, tomatoes, carrots, and lime. This was a new menu item to me, and it was excellent - very light and perfectly refreshing! I can see myself ordering this for delivery at lunch while at work. My mom loved it as well.
But the highlight of the day was dessert! One of my favorite desserts is Mango Sticky Rice, and here at Tuk Tuk, this has become my favorite MSR ever!
I didn't realize it, but Mom had never had MSR before. And boy, was she in for a treat!
I don't remember having black sticky rice with this dish before-- it's typically white rice. Maybe this is why it was so good! When I Googled the difference, a site stated that black sticky rice is nuttier, which would seem to work well with this dessert.
It makes sense that Tuk Tuk has consistently received awards such as Tucson Weekly and Daily Star's 'Best Thai' recognition. The food was outstanding, and the service couldn't have been more delightful. With the free Thai tea refills and the best Mango Sticky Rice, why would you go anywhere else?
I wish I had some more MSR now!
Go to Tuk Tuk, you will love it.