Thai Corner is a small family-owned restaurant just outside of Downtown Worcester, and it’s the only Thai place west of Downtown. It can be found at 120 June Street, right on the corner of June and Chandler. Parking is slim (street-only), but the restaurant is only a ten to fifteen-minute walk from campus, or about a seven-minute jog. You can also call for takeout or order online for pickup or delivery.
The environment at Thai Corner is quiet and relaxed, with calm, ambient music and pleasant lighting. Though they have tables to seat 22 people in total (four tables for two, two tables for four, and one table for six), the restaurant was mostly empty when I went there for lunch at 1:00 PM. The service was excellent and expedient — my server, who appeared to be the daughter of the family, was quick to bring me water and was ready to take my order after five minutes. I had my food only ten minutes later.
I ordered the Vegetarian Platter, Spicy Mussels, and a Thai Hot Tea. The mussels were cooked to perfection, but they had to be eaten immediately, or they’d quickly become dry and chewy. The portion size was enormous, with about 20 mussels and veggies to boot, but I unfortunately was unable to eat them all swiftly enough; I ended up throwing out the last five or so. Definitely bring a friend if you eat here, lest any food be wasted! The veggies and sauce that came with the mussels were good, but watch out for bits of shell — I had that experience twice during my meal.
The Vegetarian Platter came with fried tofu, garlic chive dumplings, and crunchy spring rolls, along with three types of sauces — a soy sauce, a peanut sauce, and a sweet-tasting red sauce. It also included flash-fried Brussels Sprouts. Surprisingly, my favorite of the day were the crunchy spring rolls with peanut sauce, despite usually not liking either. The spring rolls were crisp and fresh, with a perfectly chewy filling, and the peanut sauce was surprisingly well-balanced.
The flavor of the tofu and the dumplings were good, but they should have been cooked a little longer, as the insides were soft and the outsides could have been crisper. The Brussels Sprouts were good, but a bit too salty and greasy — I was thankful for my tall glass of water while eating these. I didn’t like the red sauce; it was too sticky and sweet. Finally, the flavor of the Thai Hot Tea was good, but it was a bit too weak — it definitely could have used an extra minute or two of time to steep.
Overall, I’d give the restaurant a rating of 3.5 out of five stars. I don’t regret eating here and I may choose to do so again; however, if you’re at the intersection of June and Chandler and looking for Thai food, you may as well eat at the Loving Hut, a vegan Asian restaurant with a wider selection and better food for lower prices (my $30 meal at Thai Corner would have only cost me $15 at the Loving Hut), which is quite literally next-door to Thai Corner.
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