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elanamatic: Salad King Me
For those of you not living in Toronto, Salad King is not merely a Thai eatery, it is an institution.
When I first move to Toronto, my friend Jenn and I often debated whether or not buying groceries and making food at home was more economical then eating out. Her argument was that as a single person, most food will get (m)old before it gets eaten and that she could spend $7 at Salad King and have a full meal. At the time, being fresh off the VIA route from Montreal, I had no idea what in hell she was talking about?!? Seven bucks for a salad. I thought she had her skate shoes tied too tight.
Finally, I was initiated into the thai yum that is Salad King. It was the best, most authentic tasting Thai food I had every tasted. What made it even better is that it was family run (I've often wished they would adopt me,) that you stood in line to order your food and detail your chili preference and then were sent to your table with a plastic card indicating the number of your order. When you went to pick up your dish, you were basically at the kitchen window. To me, it was as New York as you could get in Toronto. I felt like an extra in Seinfeld every time I dined there. It's across the street from Ryerson and is always filled with all kinds of interesting looking students. Going there was always a huge treat.
Over the course of the summer, Salad King underwent some renovations. I knew they were talking about creating an area for table service, but when Adina and I walked in last night for a quick bite after our first magazine freelance writing class, I was totally thrown for a loop. Sure, Mr. Salad King is still there, and greeted us readily, but the atmosphere/decor has underwent a complete 360. It's very modern, with lots of shiny silver surfaces and bright orange accents. The food is seved on trendy white asian tableware. There are a ton of waitresses, who are quick to fill up your water but slow on uptake when entering your order into their palm pilot thingamagiggies.
I have to admit, Salad King's modern update will take some getting used to. I still prefer my old school service with a smile, but thankfully the food and prices haven't changed, still cheap and delicious.
