Back when this publication had an office on Sepulveda, Swanya Thai was our local haunt so it was nice to go back. Not least because Thai is some of the most fragrant and enticing food in existence. Something about the smell of lemongrass mixed with vegetables and spices just draws you in.
Swanya Thai is no exception. Swankier than the average joint, Swanya’s staff are welcoming and warm, and the decor is contemporary and clean.
“Swanya Thai Cuisine was the very first Thai Restaurant that opened in Culver City, CA, in 2008,” they say. “We pride ourselves in delicately preparing and serving truly authentic Thai dishes with absolute no MSG to ensure that our guests will get the best Thai dining experience. Our restaurant is spacious and relaxing. If you have an event coming up, whether it be an anniversary, birthday party, business lunch or meeting, or any other event, we would love to host it for you!”
That overt enthusiasm for their business transfers into their dishes. Everything we ordered was great, and we suspect that this is the sort of place where you could blindly order anything and it wouldn’t disappoint.
We started with a classic Thai appetizer – Chicken Sa-Tay: “Yellow curry marinated charbroiled chicken skewers served with Thai peanut sauce and cucumber relish.”
It’s easy to get Sa-Tay wrong. The chicken, usually cut thin, can wind up being overcooked and chewy, like a gnarly chicken jerky. Not here; the poultry is full of flavor and is wonderfully juicy. Similarly, the peanut sauce can be stodgy and sticky in the wrong hands, but here it’s perfectly textured and flavorful.
For our main entree, we had the Yellow Curry: “meat with potatoes and carrots slow roasted in yellow curry coconut milk.”
There was a choice of chicken, beef, shrimp, tofu, vegetable, seafood, or a combination. We had the shrimp, and were not disappointed. That said, regardless of our choice, the yellow curry sauce was the star.
The way that the spices blend in a yellow curry is key. Here, it all comes together magnificently. There’s a wonderful turmeric flavor that blends beautifully with sweet coconut milk, to create a taste sensation.
It all works so wonderfully well, and serves as a reminder of why we liked this place on our previous visits. They just know what they’re doing.
Swanya Thai is located at 4322 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City. Call 310-313-1999 or visit swanyathaicuisine.com.