THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Champa Thai

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Champa Thai Restaurant Review:

Thai restaurants are often done in by their popularity. The first casualty in the game of success: authenticity. Once the crowds start rolling in, major and minor ingredients like shrimp paste, fish sauce, homemade curry paste, green peppercorns, bamboo shoots and the like start doing a disappearing act. Not so at Champa Thai in North Providence. Despite a strip-mall location and some slightly upscale décor, this relative newcomer serves a nuanced brand of Thai cooking which concedes as much to American palates as it does to those of regional Thais. Curries go beyond the usual green/red/yellow trinity to include Penang and Mus Sa Mun-style preparations that reflect the rich history of the region. Northeastern dishes like larb gai---a stunning salad-like toss of meat, lime juice, onions, roasted sticky rice ground into a powder, scallions and mint---and rad nar noodles are flavor-forward departures from take-out menu norms. We say do your palate a favor and order differently for a change. Champa Thai should reward you.