I had never been to Dok Bua before. All I knew was that my friends had gone and raved about it. After Rod Dee (my go-to Thai food restaurant) moved from Coolidge Corner to Washington Square, I was happy to hear that I could still get quality Thai food in Coolidge Corner.
When we went to Dok Bua for lunch, the atmosphere was pleasant. The restaurant was neither crowded nor loud, so it was easy to hear each other talk. We sat at a table right next to a display of snack foods that you’d never see at Star Market or Whole Foods, like baked squid and toasted prawn, neatly packaged in red containers.
We spent quite a bit of time admiring the snack foods and trying to work up the nerve to buy some, which we didn’t end up doing. However, more adventurous restaurant-goers should definitely sample the exotic variety.
The menu at Dok Bua is full of options. There are appetizers, soup, side orders, yum salads, house specialties, vegetarian entrees, special noodle dishes, stir-fried noodles, Thai noodle soup, Thai curry, fried rice plates, rice plates, fish, and Thai desserts. Our first courses, Popcorn Chicken and Fresh Rolls (spring rolls), came shortly after we sat down. Both came with their own sauces that perfectly accentuated the flavors. They were also conveniently bite-sized.
Next, the main courses arrived, emanating a mouth-watering aroma. We ordered Pad-Se-Ew (sautéed wide rice noodles with tofu) and Chinese broccoli. Our other dish was Mango Curry, made with coconut milk, yellow curry and vegetables. While I personally did not enjoy the Mango Curry as I don’t like curry or mangoes in general, everyone else at the table loved it. We all, however, immensely enjoyed the Pad-Se-Ew.
Our orders came with side dishes. We chose dumplings and egg rolls, both of which were small, but the perfect size given the amount of other food we had. I enjoyed the egg rolls more because they paired nicely with the sauce from the Popcorn Chicken, but the dumplings were also delicious.
Overall, the service at Dok Bua is prompt and accommodating, which always gives any restaurant an overall boost. When choosing which Thai food restaurant to go to in Brookline, it comes down to location.
Kira Simon can be contacted at [email protected]
