Thai Society 

It's no big secret that Utah has some damn fine Thai restaurants—so many, in fact, that it becomes really hard to nail down the places that really stand out. We all have our favorites, of course, but whenever I pop into a Thai spot that rocks my world a bit, I have to pause and reflect.

The restaurant I have in mind this week is Tuk Tuk's (2222 W. 3500 South, Ste. B7, 385-227-8347). It's part of my favorite West Valley block—I mentioned it briefly in my block party roundup last week, but after another visit, I thought it was time to really dig into this place as part of this WVC kick I am on.

Tuk Tuk's opened its doors in 2019, and the fact that it weathered the slings and arrows of the past few years speaks to its popularity. I found my way to this hip and cozy spot via their mouth-watering Instagram feed (@tuktuks.slc) that tempted me with Thai favorites tossed with shrimp and mussels. It's common to choose one's protein to accompany a heaping bowl of pad thai or pad woon sen, but this luscious medley of seafood medley dancing around on the plate was what piqued my interest.

All of the Thai staples are on the menu, and their massaman curry ($15) is a stellar blend of sweet and spicy. Speaking of spicy, Tuk Tuk's is one of the blessed Thai spots that isn't afraid to turn up the heat. They stick with a numerical value for their spice levels, and it's wise to start out pretty low on the spectrum unless you know what you're doing. I'm a fan of spicy food, so I wanted to go in guns blazing and order something pretty high on the spectrum, but the server chuckled and recommended crawling before running. Therefore, I went with a level two on my drunken noodles ($15) with seafood.

The plate arrives in a glistening pile of wide noodles and vegetables, complete with plump shrimp and enormous mussels. You can see the ominous red flecks of dried chilis that cling to each bite, and though I thought I had undershot the spice level at first, the cumulative effect was right on the money. As per my past experiences of flirting with Thai chilis, they can really start to sneak up on you if you're not careful.

For those interested in a multi-course meal at Tuk Tuk's, the tom ka ($6 for a bowl or $13 for a shareable tureen) is an excellent way to prime the palate. It's a traditional coconut milk soup that comes with a liberal helping of citrusy sourness that really gets the taste buds firing. The creamy broth contains sliced mushrooms, your choice of protein and healthy dashes of cilantro and scallions. This too comes with a spice level, which dictates how many fistfuls of dried chili goes into the soup, so exercise caution. If your party has more than two people, the shareable option is the way to go. It arrives in a beautiful silver tureen with its own heat source, so your soup stays hot throughout the meal.

Tuk Tuk's is a great place for any traditional Thai favorite that suits your fancy, but their special menu is where all the cool kids hang out. For a pure spectacle, order up the khao pad sapparot or pineapple fried rice ($16) to get a fresh pineapple, sliced in half and filled with a massaman curry, raisins, cashews and your choice of protein. It's a lovely dish that makes everyone at the table smile when it arrives, with the sweet, creamy and fresh flavors playing around in that bright yellow pineapple.

Another standout on the special menu is the panang curry with salmon ($17), which was a new experience for me. I had no doubts that a lovely piece of salmon would be great when slathered in some homemade panang curry, but I wasn't prepared for just how good it was. First, they give the salmon a light cornstarch fry so it's got a crispy, delicate crust that soaks up all that curry flavor. Then they toss it all with some broccoli, red pepper, and however much dried chili powder you've requested. There are plenty of great dishes at Tuk Tuk's, but the flavor combination of that fresh salmon and that creamy, spicy curry is deliciously unique.

Tuk Tuk's is one of those places that gets a lot of love and hype on social media, and it's all well-deserved. Each time I've visited this restaurant, I've been impressed with the service, the food and the welcoming space, which is something I've shared with plenty of my fellow diners. Again, it's hard to narrow down the best of our Thai restaurant scene since we have such a strong community there, but I would definitely argue that Tuk Tuk's can hang with the best of them.