Opened just two months ago, Aroy-D is already attracting a lunch crowd. And with the humongous space they have, any lunch crowd can be accommodated. For a strip mall restaurant, I was really surprised to see how big the place is — with a good-sized beverage bar and a separate large sushi bar. Speaking of big, the portions are ginormous!
The menu consists of Thai staples and sushi items/combos. I settled for my favorite
Gai Pad Gra Pow (minced chicken sauteed with basil leaves) which is the first thing I look for in any Thai restaurant. Here at Aroy-D, they have a funny name for it: Chicken Ka Proud. I give them major points for serving it with a fried egg automatically. None ever do. Saved me time from ordering. The dish was superb, tasty, with just the right amount of seasoning. I would’ve loved it more to be on the spicy side, but hey, you can always adjust that by asking for the condiment set (dry peppers, chili sauce, jalapeno slices in vinegar). I also give them points for using minced meat as most Thai places have gone to using slices of chicken instead.
Another favorite is the Thai barbeque chicken. Aroy-D gives you half a chicken that tastes more Americanized than I wanted it to be. The sauce tastes like, well, ordinary barbeque sauce with no hint of Asian flavoring whatsoever. A little addition of tamarind to the sauce would have elevated this dish to great heights. It came with shrimp fried rice which was flavorful.
The Chicken Broccolli-Mushroom dish was not bad either. The broccolli had a wonderful deep green color and was blanched perfectly. The chicken pieces were a tad on the overcooked side but other than that, it was delicious and not too sweet. Incidentally, real Thai cooking leans toward more on the sweet side because of the use of
coconut sugar (sweetening agent derived from coconuts which is sweeter than regular sugar). Because of this, most Thai dishes are sweet — from the stir-fry ones to the curries.
The Americanized versions that appear in almost all Thai restaurants in America have been toned down well enough for the westerner palate to appreciate. But head on over to Thailand and you’ll see what I mean (as everything I’ve eaten there anywhere on every trip is sweet).
In any case, Aroy-D (Thai speak for yummy) satisfies the lack of Thai places on this side of Peachtree Parkway. With its space, impressive decor and flavorful dishes, I’m sure it will continue to attract a regular lunch crowd. I am definitely going back to try other things.
Insider tip:
Service is outstanding and the kitchen is fast. The place is so new even 411 doesn’t show any listing for them yet.
The scoop:
Aroy-D Thai Cuisine & Sushi
10900 Medlock Bridge Rd.
Duluth, GA 30097
Phone: (678) 330-1750
Technorati Tags: Thai, Thai restaurant, Thai cuisine, Duluth, Peachtree Parkway, sushi, Thai basil chicken, Thai chicken barbeque
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