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The Thai bento boxes are a unique lunch special at Thai Orchid Restaurant. Photo by Morgan Wujkowski <\/p>\n
The Thai bento boxes are a unique lunch special at Thai Orchid Restaurant.
Photo by Morgan Wujkowski <\/p>\n
If you know me personally, you know I love to eat Thai food. And if you know my cooking as a chef, you know Thai green curry is my signature dish. Thai Orchid Restaurant in Kenneth City is one of my local favorites for lunch because they serve a bento box special unlike anywhere else.<\/p>\n
Bento boxes originated in Japan as a portable way for workers to pack lunch on the go. They\u2019ve morphed into single-serving lunches that are well balanced and, like much of Asian cuisine, focused on presentation. Contemporary bento is both practical and artistic, as well as a global food trend.<\/p>\n
Thai Bento Boxes<\/p>\n
The Thai bento boxes at Thai Orchid are various \u201csets\u201d based around your choice of protein. And the best part is they start at $14.99. This includes the soup of the day, two veggie spring rolls, fresh ginger salad, four pieces of California roll sushi, and your choice of entr\u00e9e with steamed white rice.<\/p>\n
Choose from proteins like chicken, pork, beef, and tofu if you\u2019re more of a traditionalist. Or if you have an adventurous palate, they also offer shrimp, squid, scallop, and duck. Some boxes are more stir-fry focused, while others come with noodles and saut\u00e9ed vegetables. It just depends on what you\u2019re craving.<\/p>\n
I was torn between ordering the Pad Thai Set (saut\u00e9ed rice noodles with bean sprouts, scallion, eggs, and peanut) because I love pad Thai, and the \u201cPanang Curry Set,\u201d because my favorite Thai food is curry. I opted with the \u201cPanang Curry Set\u201d that came with coconut milk, mixed vegetables, and ground peanuts. The panang curry (red curry mixed with peanut) was off-the-charts tasty. It balanced perfectly between the richness and creaminess with the warm aromatics. It was lightly sweet (you could taste the peanut) without bombarding the palate. All-in-all, it was a well-rounded sauce that made my bento experience perfect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
[Read more below]Love To Eat? So Do We!<\/p>\n
Check out our restaurant reviews, recipes, and other food-related coverage<\/a>!<\/p>\n Sushi Bento\u00a0<\/p>\n The most popular lunch bento at Thai Orchid are the sushi bento boxes. The \u201cPopular Set\u201d ($14.99) comes with eight pieces of spicy tuna roll, four pieces of California roll, one tuna nigiri, one salmon nigiri, two spring rolls, ginger salad, and soup of the day. (No rice or noodles.) The \u201cBuddha Set\u201d (also $14.99) is great for vegetarians because it comes with eight pieces of Buddha roll, two avocado nigiri, two asparagus nigiri, two veggie spring rolls, ginger salad, and veggie soup.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lunch Combos<\/p>\n If you go off-script and order from the regular lunch menu, expect inexpensive combinations (starting at $11.99) like chicken lo mein, tofu green curry, stir fried vegetables, and sweet and sour pork. For $13.99, you can upgrade your lunch protein to beef, shrimp, or squid. All lunch combos are served with an appetizer, soup of the day, and steamed rice.\u00a0<\/p>\n Thai Orchid does close between lunch and dinner service. Be sure to catch their lunch specials Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and go for the bento boxes.<\/p>\n Thai Orchid Restaurant, 4339 66th St. N., Kenneth City. Mon.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.\/4:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., Closed Sunday. thaiorchidandsushi.com<\/a>, 727-546-9834<\/a>.<\/p>\n We\u2019re the calm during the storm. No hype, only help!<\/p>\n Bookmark The Gabber Newspaper\u2018s storm coverage<\/a> page for quick access to relevant tropical storm updates. No hype, no guessing, just updates on shelters, sandbags, and closures. Sign up for text alerts<\/a> to get real-time guidance and prep advice when there\u2019s a named storm heading our way. Also, check out our downtown Gulfport and beach web cams<\/a>.<\/p>\n