SOUTH HADLEY – One of my favorite foods is Thai food – from the first time I tried it I was hooked on the spices, textures and flavors.

When we added our Holyoke edition I was incredibly excited for The Best Damn Takeout column because now The Thai Place in South Hadley was officially in our circulation area. I’ve heard so many great things about this restaurant from so many people and was very excited to sample some of their offerings.

I was already in the South Hadley/Granby area when I called in my lunch order and was prepared to wait a little bit. However, when I called to place my pickup, I was told my food would be ready in 15 minutes. When I walked into the restaurant about 20 minutes later, my food was ready and waiting for me. I had a 30 minute drive back to my home in Springfield, and when I got there I was pleasantly surprised to find my food still nice and hot.

I chose to order steamed chicken dumplings and a noodle dish called crazy noodle. The dumplings didn’t have a description, but I felt pretty confident in my choice - after all, dumplings are pretty standard. The description of the crazy noodle dish, however, made my mouth water as it stated the dish consisted of “Stir fried Thai wide rice noodle with egg, chicken, onions, peppers, cabbage, carrots, snow peas, broccoli, string beans, zucchini, scallions in spicy sauce.” The dish was then finished with holly basil leaves.

I started with the dumplings, which came with a small container of sauce to dip them in. The dumplings were perfectly steamed and even had some steamed carrots included. I was incredibly happy to find that the dumplings had not gone soggy during my trip home – they were cooked perfectly. The only description I can think of is al dente pasta, where the dough wasn’t stiff or undercooked, but wasn’t cooked to the point of falling apart or being mushy. The carrots, in my opinion, were steamed perfectly as well, still maintaining their crunch and flavor.

I tried the dumplings both with and without the sauce that was included. Personally, I preferred them with the dipping sauce which tasted of ginger. The sauce complemented the savory flavor of the chicken and dough and added a slight sweetness to the flavor profile. On their own the dumplings were just as delicious though.

The crazy noodle dish did not disappoint upon first glance. I prefer noodle dishes over rice dishes, so I was happy to see the abundance of noodles piled into the takeout dish. While I’m not usually a fan of cabbage, especially in large pieces like in this dish, I found myself not noticing the cabbage as I ate. I think this was because the cabbage wasn’t cooked to mush, something I dislike, and it took on the flavor of the sauce. Much like the vegetables included with the dumplings, they were steamed to perfectly still maintaining their crunch while not being raw. While the dish promises a spicy sauce, I didn’t find that it was painfully spicy. My nose was running slightly by the end of the meal, but there was no lingering uncomfortable heat in my mouth. Full disclosure, however, I love spice and have a high tolerance, so if you dislike any type of spicy food you may want to avoid this.

I could have gotten a couple meals out of the amount of food that I got, however, I was hungry and devoured it all. I was left really happy with both the service I received at the restaurant and the quality of food that they provided.

The Thai Place is located on 480 Granby Rd. in South Hadley and is open Monday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The restaurant is open for both dining in and takeout and can be reached by calling 533-9231. More information and a full menu can be found online at https://www.thaiplacerestaurant.biz.