Pai's

(UPDATE 10/4/12: Unfortunately, Pai's has closed. The truck's last day was September 28. Pai opted to move to Thailand to be closer to family. Wishing the crew all the best!)

Pai's is a Seattle food truck specializing in Thai-Hawaiian fusion menu items. At the time of this post, they are open for lunch on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. They have two locations: Starbucks Headquarters on Utah Ave. S (Tue and Fri) or South Lake Union (SLU, on Harrison St; Mon and Thu).

Parked at Starbucks HQ

Menu (mid-October 2011)

I ordered the Lemongrass Huli Huli Chicken bowl ($7): "Boneless chicken marinated in Thai herbs and Hawaiian huli huli sauce." It is served on a bed of white rice and decorated with a slice of tomato and a slice of cucumber.

Lemongrass Huli Huli Chicken bowl (Pai's)

I enjoyed the flavors of the chicken, a nice bit of sweetness with a welcome shot of lemongrass and other Thai herbs. The chicken itself was moist and tender. I felt adding sriracha (Pai's has a bottle handy for their customers) was the way to go here for a bit more flavor and heat.

Pai's can go full-on Hawaiian with their Kalua Pork and Cabbage ($7), go Korean with the "Paigogi" (their take on Korean bulgogi; $8), and even caters to the vegetarians with Tofu and Baby Bok Choy ($7).

For an extra $2, you can get a plate lunch instead, consisting of your entree plus any two of their side dishes (choice of sesame salad, papaya salad, kimchi, or macaroni salad).

I had a great first experience at Pai's and urge others to check them out! 7.5/10