Khao Hom Thai & Pho in Billerica is now open for dine-in. I really have missed this gem of a Thai restaurant during the pandemic. I'm so happy that she survived and stayed in business. I wasn't too worried since most of her business is takeout anyway.
They are located in a small plaza not far from the Wilmington border. I can take the backroads to get here, and it's an exhilarating drive.
Nothing inside has changed apart from the screened-in front counter.
My first dish dining in choice was my favorite dish, Khao Soi with duck ($13.95). "Egg noodles in a curry sauce with pickled green mustard, red onion, cilantro on topped of crispy egg noodle". Now they know me, so when I order it spicy, it's spicy. You mix everything together, there goes the crispy noodles, and get a bowl of goodness. The crispy noodles are really for decoration anyway. Despite being seriously spicy, it was still very flavorful and with all the required Thai flavors present. It had a very pleasing texture due to the crispy noodles, red onions, and green mustard. The duck and it was plenty of it, was cooked to perfection as was the noodles. 08/08/21
Since I'm using my gift card, I figured I could splurge and start with the Chicken Satay ($6.50). "Chicken marinated in Thai sauce served on skewers w/ peanut & cucumber sauce". I expected the skewers to be the tiny ones you usually get, but what arrived were four ginormous skewers. Look at the size of them! Not sure what they were marinated in, but it was reminiscent of a Chinese curry. Delicious and seasoned really well. Cooked perfectly with a delicious peanut sauce. Not sure where the very lightly pickled cucumber and carrots fit in, but I ate it all. I suspect the menu should have said "w/ peanut sauce & cucumbers." 09/01/21
My mains was the dinner-sized Pad Kee Mao with Duck ($12.95). "Wide noodles, egg, onion, bell pepper, basil, chili, garlic". This is a delicious dish that unfortunately looks terrible in the picture. There was an astonishing amount of tender duck hiding in there. Spicy? It was nose running spicy, but still very delicious. 09/01/21
Drunken Noodles is the literal translation of Pad Kee Mao because the theory is that these spicy Thai noodles should be eaten with an ice-cold beer and that they are an excellent cure for a hangover.
This is not a closeup of a small bowl of soup but a real shot of the Wonton Soup ($5.50). "Shrimp and Pork marinated in house sauce wrapped in wonton wrapper". Remember those mini wontons with lots of loose wraps that you get in most Chinese restaurants? Not here! The wontons are the size of (Swedish) meatballs. The soup actually had a taste, and there were bits of fried garlic floating around. I was almost done after finishing off the delicious soup. 09/22/21
Duck Curry ($12.95). "Coconut milk, pineapple, green and red bell pepper, tomato, basil". I had no idea how to eat the rice, so I had to ask. Traditionally, you put some curry on the rice and eat it, then repeat. I ordered it extra spicy and got plenty of bird's eye chilis. The duck curry is based on red curry, and it was delicious. There was also plenty of duck that was really tender and succulent. I ended up using the soup spoon and loaded it up with various bits and pieces and rice, dunking it in the curry and inhaling it. Probably my second favorite dish here. 09/22/21
This is simply called Spicy Green Bean and ordered with duck as my protein ($12.95). "Green bean, bell pepper, onion, basil". I forgot to tell her extra spicy, and she forgot to mention it to the chef! Regardless, it had a bit of heat and was, as usual, very tasty. I really like the duck, and there is plenty of tender and succulent duck. The sauce was very palatable and delicious. These are just about the only veggies that I like, so this dish really suits me. Just wish that the beans had been correctly trimmed. 10/13/21
There has been plenty of duck in this writeup, but I'm using my gift card and can splurge a bit. Besides that, you can never have too much duck.
Other interesting dishes are the Kimchi Curry ($12.95) and Dry - Pho ($8.95). One of my favorite lunch dishes is the Stir Fry Gapao ($8.25). Their Pad That and Larb are excellent. The Pad Thai isn't as super sweet as in most places. Pro-tip: Order the fish NOT crispy otherwise, it's overcooked. Panang Curry isn't on the menu but can be had if you ask for it.
The lady running the place couldn't be more pleasing. Nothing is ever a problem, and the service is super friendly. Don't miss the condiment racks on the shelf. Pickled jalapenos are surprisingly tasty and do wonders for a Pad Thai.
Address: 258 Salem Rd, Billerica, MA 01821 Phone: 978-362-8269
Children see magic because they look for it.
-- Christopher Moore
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