SLA Thai

Published February 16, 2024

After spending the day in downtown Montclair, my boyfriend and I headed to Upper Montclair for dinner at SLA Thai Restaurant.

 

SLA Thai was around the corner from Tino’s Artisan Pizza and Mattarello Bakery & Café.

Twinkle lights lit the front windows of the restaurant. Small flags strung across the sidewalk and into the nearby tree swung wildly in the chilly evening wind. Luckily, we made a reservation and were seated as soon as we walked into the dining room so we didn’t have to hover near the door.

We sat at a two-top table along the left-hand side of the room, which — to me — was the best seat in the restaurant. I looked out onto the open dining room. Straight ahead, a vibrant neon red wallpapered wall stretched up with white, blue, and tan flowers. A cut out window to the kitchen showed the chef sending out plates on the edge.

The room had a balance of vintage textiles and details — like the fringe lamp, floral pillows, and vintage rotary phone. The decorations and table settings were minimal and clean. The flowers on the table were a nice touch and reminded me of the flower arrangements from the Nebo Lodge Restaurant. I loved the thin brass lights that glowed on each table.

SLA Thai Menu

We were given two menus — one laminated drink and dessert menu and one multi-page leather menu. I was excited to see mocktails offered on the menu, and was reminded of the unique drinks we had during our Maine trip.

As we browsed the offerings, a small ceramic bowl of cookies were placed on our table. I was intrigued with the idea of starting the meal with something sweet. I had no complaints as I tried the cookies — which tasted like they had a caramel-style filling.

Aun Chan Manow Mocktail | 8.50

We also started our meal with a mocktail. We had no idea what ingredients went into this drink — or the others listed on the one-page menu — so we decided to order it anyway just to try.

Upon Googling this name, I see this drink is compared to a butterfly pea lemonade — like my sister and I had at Thai Corner Bistro.

Overall, this drink was light and refreshing. We would order it again and also try some of the other mocktails.

Appetizers

Curry Puffs | $15.00

The curry puff appetizer was a holiday special on the first page of their leather menu, which I assume they switch out for different dishes at different times of the year.

Curry puffs are one of my favorite appetizers. The exterior is a crisp and light puff pastry stuffed with curried potatoes and vegetables. This appetizer came with a shallow bowl of dipping sauce which is a sweet vinegar base with chili, cucumbers, and red onions.

Truffle Rolls | $12.00

As truffle lovers, we were excited to see a truffle roll on the menu. We were curious if this appetizer would be a rice paper roll or if it would be deep fried like a spring roll.

The truffle rolls were mini fried wontons stuffed with shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, leeks, clear noodles, and truffle oil. 

Personally, I wouldn’t get these again. I didn’t notice much truffle flavor and, despite the above description of veggies, I couldn’t distinguish much of the filling’s vegetables. Most of the flavor for me came from the dipping sauce.

Tom Yum Soup | $10.00

This was a small portion of soup, which was more than enough to share as an appetizer.

We added chicken to our Tom Yum soup, and you can see it also had button mushrooms, lemon grass, and kaffir lime leaves.

I don’t typically enjoy Tom Yum soup, but I thought this was tasty (not too strong in the soup broth flavor) and a nice appetizer to accompany our other selections.

Entrees

By now, the dining room was packed. The entire wall of seating near us was filled, the few large tables in the back corners of the restaurant were taken by families with children. The long wooden table that divided the room was shared by couples and groups of 4 who sat side by side. Even the limited bar seating at the far end of the room near the front windows was packed.

Couples who waited for a table to open stood near the long wooden table in front of the entryway. I was glad we had a reservation because that was a tight area to huddle in while one waited to be seated.

Hed Nam Tdok | $18.00

My boyfriend wanted a lighter dish for his dinner, so he decided to order one of the salads.

The Hed Nam Tdok had grilled mixed wild mushrooms with herbs, rice powder, lemongrass, and shallot on top of greens. It was a generous portion of mushrooms, which, to me, is ideal if you’re going to have a salad as a meal.

I didn’t try this salad, so I can’t comment on the flavor. My boyfriend ate some but it was more than enough for dinner (especially after our appetizers), so he ended up wrapping most of it to take home.

Gang Hung Ley | $26.00

While I was tempted to get a noodle dish, I ended up selecting the Gang Hung Ley, which I had never had before.

This entree was apparently a classic dish from Northern Thailand. It has braised pork belly and baby ribs in a Hung ley curry paste, with ginger, garlic, and pickled mustard greens on top. Plus, it came with a side of steamed rice. I asked for my curry to be prepared “mild,” as I wasn’t sure if it was a spicy dish.

It arrived in a deep bowl and looked incredible. The curry was delicious — not spicy at all, even with the “mild” request. The flavor was rich and and perfect with the fatty pork belly that dissolved without even cutting it.

The pickled greens on top were a contrasting texture and refreshing flavor for the rich dish. I would 100% order this entree again and recommend you try it — it was to die for.

Dessert

By now, the tables closest to us turned over with new couples. Still, groups of guests waited near the front door to be seated. Several servers and staff bustled throughout the room clearing plates, wrapping food, and delivering menus.

Our entrees were wrapped and exchanged for the dessert menu.

Sweet Sticky Rice Ice Cream | $12.00

The sticky rice is one of my favorite desserts, and since mango is out of season, we actually had it with a side of mango ice cream.

Using the mango ice cream in place of the fruit is a genius idea. The ice cream had a subtle, sweet mango flavor and the rice was sweet and savory. The plating was gorgeous and I was intrigued with the additional fruit that they added on top. I am not sure what the clear fruit was (diced Rambutan?), but it added some additional texture to the dessert which I enjoyed.

My Recommendations

I give our visit to SLA Thai a 10/10 for the following:

• Decor and Design

  • Starting from the sidewalk, guests are greeted with a vibrant and colorful brand. The interior of SLA Thai is gorgeous and I loved their colorful wallpaper and vintage details. Their bold primary colors tie throughout their menu and — literally — across each of the plates throughout our meal.

• Service

  • Our waitress was friendly and attentive, as were the supporting staff who brought our meals and drinks. I appreciated the efficiency of the restaurant and their service. We rarely had to ask for anything. We had two hours for our reservation and found that we weren’t rushed when actively dining. The moment we signed our check, we were asked to leave, since other reservations were waiting for the table. Given that they didn’t rush our meal to accommodate reservations, I had no problem with the reminder, but I suspect other people may not like that if they wanted to finish a conversation before getting up from the table.

• Food

  • From the colorful mocktails, to the rich entrees, and beautiful desserts, I loved everything about the dishes I had at SLA Thai. I can see why they are a popular restaurant in Upper Montclair, and look forward to returning in the future to try even more of their menu.

Have you been to SLA Thai?

Do you have a favorite dish from SLA Thai? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, I’d love to hear from you.

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