Look By Plant Love House

Will and I bought souvenirs for our friends Sam and Alex and wanted to have a meet up/lunch with them to give them their gifts as well as give them the good news in person. They were ecstatic when they heard the news. 

Sam and Alex went to Thailand last year and they had authentic Thai food. A friend of theirs mentioned Look By Plant Love House which had authentic, homey Thai food so they wanted to try it out with us.

Look By Plant Love House is an interesting addition to the neighborhood and a cute spot! There's a bar seating at the front of the restaurant and a narrow hallway past the kitchen that leads to small, but cozy seating in the back and then an outdoor space when the weather is nice like now. Our waiter was extremely friendly and helpful in explaining menu items to us. We ordered a variety of dishes and desserts:

Thai Ice Teas

Will and I got the Thai Ice Tea and this is something you can't NOT have since this is a Thai restaurant. I liked the Thai Ice Tea a lot, tasted fresh and not overwhelmingly sweet.

Bangkok Guay Tiao Tom Yum & Guay Tiao Num Tok (Pork Blood Noodle Soup)

Sam ordered the Bangkok Guay Tiao Tom Yum and it's a spicy noodle flavored with fresh lime, fish sauce, Thai dried chili, minced pork, sliced pork, fish balls, bean sprouts, and ground peanut and crispy wonton. The Tom Yum looked really good especially for a chilly day and especially good for those that can take spicy foods. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it too much since I can't handle spicy foods too well.

Will ordered the Guay Tiao Num Tok (Pork Blood Noodle Soup)  and apparently this was a popular menu item, so he ordered it.. I wasn't too excited nor did I want to try the noodle soup since it had the words "pork blood" and to me it looked unappetizing.  The pork blood noodle is Thai boat noodle soup flavored with palm sugar and Thai Chili-vinegar with sliced pork, pork balls, Chinese broccoli, and bean sprouts. Will can handle spicy foods slightly better than me, but to him it was ultra spicy.

Pla lui Suan & Khao Kluk Kapi

We got the Pla Lui Suan which was one of the "LOOK's Signature items, so of course we had to try it. Pla lui suan is a fried fillet red snapper covered with combinations of Thai herbs - Kaffir lime leaves, galangal shallot and mint-cashewed nuts, dressed with fresh chilles and lime juice, but I was able to handle it.

I ordered the Khao Kluk Kapi as my entree since I didn't want anything spicy or overly spicy. It was definitely vibrant and colorful. The Khao Kluk Kapi is a Thai shrimp paste fried rice with sweet pork stew, omelet red onions, string beans, Chinese sausage and mango. I was told I had to mix all of the ingredients together with the rice which was quite interesting. I liked the dish since it had different texture in it.

Yum Pak Boong Grob & Homemade I-San Pork Sausage

We got two side orders. The Yum Pak Boong Grob is a crispy watercress salad with chili lime sauce, shrimps, minced pork, crispy shallot, cilantro, and peanut. This was an interesting salad. I never had fried watercress so I thought it was interesting. Shrimps were cooked perfectly and delicious. We also got the Homemade I-San Pork Sausage.

And... finally dessert:

Him Bolan & Warm Coconut Durian Sticky Rice

Will and I shared the Him Bolan since it sounded pretty interesting and in fact it was! It's a coconut ice-cream with traditional assorted Thai toppings (red bean, sweet palm seeds, corn, jack fruit, and peanuts). I really enjoyed this dessert as there's different textures and toppings to try. The coconut ice-cream was amazing! Loved it!

Sam and Alex had the Warm Coconut Durian Sticky Rice, since they enjoy durian desserts for the most part. There was a bowl of durian with sticky rice, a small plate of crushed peanuts and coconut flakes to top off the durian with sticky rice. There was also a scoop of Ube ice cream which was delicious! The durian with sticky rice I wasn't pleased with at all since I am not a fan of durian by any form or means. 

Overall, the food is definitely different and more authentic compared to most of the Thai restaurants I've tried so far. The atmosphere is welcoming and the prices here are reasonable. I definitely think that Look by Plant Love House is worth visiting if you enjoy Thai food or enjoy a little spice every now and then. I personally can't handle spicy dishes, but I did enjoy the atmosphere and the Him Bolan (I highly recommend this).

*Tip: This is a cash-only spot*

*Tip: They've recently opened another restaurant known as Mondayoff by Plant Love House*