Vanxai's - Serviceable Thai

Winnipeg never fails to impress me with their impressive variety oriental restaurants. Waking up during the day from a post-call slumber, I was immediately greeted by the venerable growl of my unhappy stomach. Perusing the depths of Urbanspoon and flipping through the pictures of previous diners, I suddenly had an urge for Thai food. Whisking through my list of Thai places I wanted to try, I landed upon Vanxai's Lao & Thai Restaurant. Needless to say, I was in my car within minutes.

Vanxai's is located on St. Anne's Road just off of St. Mary's Road. Found in historic St. Vital, the building is obviously a retrofitted brick structure from long ago. To their credit, the owners do a nice job of sprucing up the restaurant with functional decor and pleasant service staff.

The handsome menu features a nice collection of authentic Thai and Laos dishes. I was impressed by the large number of traditional appetizers including the ever popular Stuffed Chicken Wings. A litany of soups adorns the second page, all associated with drool worthy pictures. Their main course consists of the regular noodle dishes as you would expect including the ever constant Pad Thai. Finishing off the last page consists of a large number of curries including the usual Green, Cred and Panang variety. Overall a good representation of Thai and Laos cuisine that should please anybody perusing the menu.

The Pad Thai Chicken was a nice portion of tender rice noodles with chicken slices and bean sprouts in the typical tomato-based sauce. Vanxai does a nice job in straddling the delicate balance of tartness and sweetness in the sauce. Texturally you have the nice contrast of the crunchy peanuts, crispy sprouts and tender noodles.

Green Curry Beef was a miss from the onset. I was rather unimpressed by the thin, runny and watery sauce that had a disappointingly mild curry flavour. The vegetables feel tacked on and although add brightness and crunch, did not impart any of their flavour into the sauce. Most egregious of all is meager number of bland, tasteless and chewy beef slices. Definitely a pass.

Overall Vanxai delivers serviceable Thai food that did not impress nor excite me. While I appreciate the nice decor and prompt service, ultimately their food was not up to snuff, especially when compared to other Thai restaurants in town.