Sitting in the Forest Hill Shopping Center, across from our last culinary destination, Ttobongee Chicken, lies a new restaurant, Love Thai. Occupying the space left behind by Taste of India, Love Thai opened on November 18th as Pacific Grove’s third Thai food option. Although we ate inside, the restaurant inherited and enhanced the outdoor-seating patio, making it very welcoming. 

Upon being seated by a nice waiter, who turned out to be the owner, we were greeted by a mouth-watering menu. The prices seemed rather solid in the mid-range, and almost every item on the menu had a bright, colorful picture to go with it. The restaurant itself has a lot of the same features as Taste of India’s predecessor, Vito’s, such as the fireplace. There are both couches and tables, satisfying everyone’s needs.  

For drinks, we ordered Thai Tea Boba, which came out in a mason jar with a splendid design. The tea was fresh and coupled with milk and sugar, created an amazing, sweet flavor. To start our meal, we ordered steamed mussels covered in an amazing coconut-milk-based broth and a seaweed salad. The mussels were well-cooked and sensational when coupled with the spicy and creamy broth, and added saltiness if you put on seaweed salad. Next, the waiter brought out our entrées. We shared the Love Thai Fried Rice and Pad See Ew (a noodle dish) amongst each other. The Fried Rice was decent, although we enjoyed the addition of Thai curry flavors. The Pad See Ew was well flavored with a sweet sauce with notes of oyster and soy sauce, while the noodles were soft and chewy. The added broccoli, tofu bits, and carrots in the dish also soaked up the sauce flavor well.

Overall, we enjoyed our meal at the Love Thai restaurant and would highly recommend this place for anyone seeking a unique experience, along with impeccable food and service. Love Thai is a restaurant to put on your list for good Thai food in the Monterey area.

Information: 1180 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA 93950; (831) 241-6398 https://lovethaicuisine.com/;