Roong Petch Restaurant
We were on our way to North Center on a Friday, and we were both a little beat from the work week, so we really weren’t sure what we were doing for dinner. All we did know is that we were on a southbound bus on Clark St. that just busted a right on Montrose. With no game plan, we ding the bell, get off at the Montrose Brown Line stop, start walking west. We didn’t get too far when we passed a place we’ve passed many times. While Roong Petch’s menu is in our stack of a take out and delivery menus, we’d never tried it before. We figured now was the perfect time.
Roong Petch is a Thai restaurant/sushi bar that offers a good selection of both cuisines, including some Japanese standards like tempura shrimp and chicken teriyaki. We both struggled over whether to order the Japanese (Clark was thinking sushi and I was tempted by the teriyaki), but in the end we both went for Thai.
Because Roong Petch is really affordable, we decided to treat ourselves to an appetizer to start. Along with the standard appetizers you usually see in a Thai and Japanese restaurant, we noticed a few interesting variations and ended up trying the honey pork — five grilled honey marinated pork skewers served with house dipping sauce. We both loved the pork — it was tender and well marinated, not to mention plentiful…these weren’t tiny skewers. The house dipping sauce, while good in its own right, didn’t seem to be the right match for these skewers; it was almost too overpowering for the pork.
I went for one of my favorites, pad see eiw with chicken, and wasn’t disappointed. The noodles, veggies (especially the broccoli), meat and sweet soy sauce were all delicious, and the portion was the perfect size (meaning I could finish most of it without feeling over-stuffed).
Clark ordered the spicy basil noodles with chicken, a nice stir fried dish consisting of chicken, wide rice noodles, basil leaves, sliced carrots, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and chili peppers. They give you the option of spicy or regular. Being a fan of the spicy, he sided with the spicy — but this may have been a huge mistake because they made it so darn spicy, he couldn’t even enjoy it or finish it. Next time he may just go with the regular spice.
All in all, Rootch Petch was a great find. Good food, nice atmosphere and a really affordable price. And the bonus – it’s just across the street from Margie’s Candies so if you still have room left after dinner, a sweet treat isn’t far away.
Title card photo taken by Elaine Chernov. Thanks
