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MY THAI

By Scot Thomson

When I heard the news that the Waterloo location of Zen Garden
had closed, I was saddened. It was not so much that their food
was amazing. It was not the fact that I could walk there and get a
decently priced meal that I would miss. It was the fact that I was
losing a place where, as a vegetarian, ordering was simple. I
could eat everything. No chicken would ever be accidentally
slipped into my dish or fish–sauce poured into my Pad Thai. It
made for an easy night out. And while Zen Garden still lives on at
its other locations, the King Street spot has been re–opened as
yet another Thai restaurant.
My–Thai is the fifth location of a restaurant chain that has
been open in Hamilton and Burlington since 2001. They also have
locations in Brantford and Ancaster. Going from one chain in Zen
Garden to another did not really bother me. It is not as if some
small family business was shut down by some corporate overlord.
In this case, the kitchen simply changed hands, and some new
menus were created.
Aesthetically, My–Thai looks very much like Zen Garden. I am
not sure they changed anything in the place. If they did, it is not
abundantly noticeable. This can hardly be a fault. In this
economy, why renovate a perfectly decent looking place if you
don’t have to.
The menu is not as large as the other Thai restaurants in the
region. This is certainly a strength. People who are not too
familiar with the style of cooking often get lost in a 20–page
manuscript, which presents you with every combination of fish,
beef, noodles, tofu, and sauces imaginable. My–Thai keeps it
simple. There are only about five pages to the whole thing.
Usually, this means a restaurant does what they do well enough
that they do not have to provide you with nearly unlimited
options. Unfortunately for My–Thai, this is not the case at their
restaurant.
My guest and I started with an order of the fresh spring rolls,

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