Midtown Lunch

I finally got around to trying a Thai spot for lunch, Erawan on 23rd St. To save you the trip to Wikipedia- Erawan is the name of a mystical elephant.

I wanted to get over there to try the  weekday lunch special, where 3 courses starts at $8.  The deal is dine-in only, but lunching by their zen waterfall wall beats scarfing down in front of a computer any day, so might as well stay a while. The first course is a small salad, followed by an appetizer, and then your main.

The small salad was doused in peanut dressing and held me over as I waited for the rest.

I ordered the golden tofu, 4 fried triangles that are mostly there for your textural entertainment, their sauce provided most of the flavor. I tried a bite of the crispy spring rolls, which had a tasty filling inside them.

There are a lot of options for lunch entrees. I knew I wanted curry, but I don’t love bell peppers, so that left me with the Massaman Curry. To get any of the curries with  beef, chicken, pork, or vegetable and tofu it is $8, shrimp is a dollar more, and duck is $11.

The curry was rich and really really peanutty, so that could  bother some people, but I enjoyed it, especially soaked into the accompanying rice. It was a good size too, I was certainly full after finishing the salad, the tofu, and then the entree.

The Pad Woon Sen is a simple but flavorful thread noodle dish that is super packed with veggies. A good healthyish option.

Besides this and the  curry selection, all of the Thai noodle dishes you would expect are on the lunch menu, ex: Pad Thai, Pad See-Ew. There are also a few chicken, fish, and duck entrees. The lunch special dishes at Erawan aren’t mind blowingly good, but they are satisfying, not terrible for you, and you will be full for as little as $8.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• 3 courses for $8
• Noodles or curry, all your Thai favorites are available

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Special is dine in only
• Won’t be the best Thai food you ever had
• Massaman curry is really heavy on the peanut

Erawan, 123 S. 23rd  St. (@ Sansom St.), 215-567-2542