Tofu Soup at Tasty Thai - Lake Forest

Thank God for Indo Ranch in Lake Forest...not only has it single handedly cured South Orange County from a severe deficiency of Indonesian food (if you're reading my blog for the first time, yes, I am Indonesian), it also indirectly introduced me to perhaps the best Thai discovery since Sutha Thai in Tustin.

Tasty Thai is located just two doors down from Indo Ranch, and might just be its polar opposite. It's small while Indo Ranch is big; it's a dimly lit and romantic restaurant while Indo Ranch is a utilitarian grocer lit by CFL's.

Tasty Thai has but one cook and one server. I know this because said hi to the guy when I had to go through the kitchen on my way to the restroom.

It's nothing short of a magic trick what this guy manages to do in that cramped kitchen, by himself. His menu is insane: at least 20 appetizers, more than 10 salads, a dozen soups, every variety of pan fried noodle imaginable, two dozen kinds of fried rice, grilled Thai BBQ meats, house special dishes that include duck, at least three kinds of fish, and yes, even a fried banana dessert with three distinct preparations of the fruit served with two scoops of coconut ice cream and a plate they set on fire just for the hell of it...phew...

I got tired just writing that.

I've not even begun to crack a fraction of his menu, but his simple tofu soup is a dish that makes the place essential, even if that was the only thing he served. The broth is the kind that at first glance, doesn't appear to be anything special, but you'd be dead wrong to assume so. It is, in fact, a nectar so unbelievably good, it trumps their Tom Yum Goong or Tom Kha Gai. Unlike those soups, which relies on a souring agent and coconut milk, this broth is pure in its clearness and intent: to animate the silken cubes of tofu and invigorate the boiled greens and carrots.

So thanks, Indo Ranch, for without you I would not have a reliable supplier of sambal and I never would have stumbled on Tasty Thai to taste this soup...this wonderful, soul-warming, delicious soup!

Tasty Thai
22722 Lambert St.
Lake Forest, CA 92630
(949) 461-7888

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