Thai joint more than meets the eye

The storefront of Thai of Wedgwood is misleadingly small. Step beyond the takeout waiting area and you'll find a spacious dining room where the service is brisk and cheerful, the atmosphere pleasantly relaxed and the fare inviting.

The menu: Thai of Wedgwood's varied roster includes appetizers, salads, soups, noodle dishes, curries and house specialties. Prices range from $5.75 to $12.50. A limited beer-and-wine menu is available, with beer running about $4, glasses of wine at $5.50-$6, and bottles of wine at $19-$21.

What to write home about: The Shu-She-Salmon, one of the most expensive items on the menu at $10.50, is worth shouting about. The salmon is served not as a fillet but in succulent, bite-size chunks sautéed in a rich red-curry/coconut-milk sauce garnished with sweet basil. We ordered it medium hot (three stars out of five) and that was just right — nicely spicy, but not so strong that it overwhelmed the salmon flavor.

The Phad Thai, which we had with pork ($8.50), is light, flavorful and accented with crunchy bean sprouts and carrot slivers.

The Rama Chicken ($8.50), served over stir-fried spinach and topped with peanut sauce, had thin slices of chicken and carrot. Again, it was done with a light touch, with the peanut sauce imparting flavor but not bullying the dish.

The appetizer menu had some items I'll definitely try next time: Tod-Mun pla ("deep-fried fishcakes with red curry, green beans, and lime leaves") and the Moo Ping ("thinly sliced pork marinated with garlic"). We had the Wedgwood Spring Rolls ($6.95), which my companion described as the spring-roll equivalent of a Dagwood sandwich.

Crunchy on the outside, the two sizable rolls were packed with a hot little stew of bamboo shoots, chicken, dried shrimp, green onions and black pepper. They could have been a meal in themselves.

What to skip: The only disappointment was the brown rice, which was on the dry side.

The setting: The dining area is roomy, which gives patrons a bit of privacy.

Summing up: The bill for three entrees and one appetizer, plus rice, came to $49.30 with tip.

Michael Upchurch: mupchurch@seattletimes.com