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After 25 years in San Francisco, building and running the successful Osha Thai restaurants, chef-owner Lalita Souksamlane has brought her cuisine to the East Bay. Torsap Thai Kitchen quietly opened in downtown Walnut Creek on Dec. 19. The restaurant is located in the large corner space on Locust Street formerly occupied by Sunol Ridge, which closed in August 2017 after a three-year run. We stopped by during Torsap Thai’s first weekend of business. Here’s what we saw and tasted.
THE VIBE: It’s a bit quieter inside than Sunol Ridge was, but otherwise the interior is the same. The fabulous basket lanterns still hang overhead in the bar, along with multiple flat-screen TVs. The upper dining room features deep, cozy booths and the urban, metal chairs have been replaced by buttery camel -hued leather chairs. The back dining room now contains a long, dramatic community table reserved for private parties, and the television sets there are set to a crackling, Netflix fireplace.
THE FOOD: Menu highlights are divided into Appetizers ($11-$15), Wok & Grilled ($11-$29), Curries ($13-$20) and Noodle & Rice ($12-$18). You’ll recognize several signature Osha Thai dishes, including Beef Wasabi Rolls ($13), tender, grilled flank steak wrapped around crisp spears of carrot and celery in a spicy watercress and wasabi salsa. It’s a great, palate-waking starter.
Another, the Emperor Noodle Soup ($25), is a build-your-own dish with four types of pork, a boiled egg, bok choy and egg noodles served with a small bowl of simple, soothing broth. On our visit, the broth arrived warm but the other ingredients in the large, stone bowl were cold. Torsap Thai’s star dish, and the one that put Osha Thai on the map, is the Volcanic Beef ($22), wok-tossed flank steak topped with Thai basil, a massive onion ring and “lava” sauce.
PERFECT FOR… Watching the game over bowls of tom kha; feasting on papaya salad or panang beef curry before a movie; or catching up with a friend over Thai tea shaved ice.
DETAILS: Open daily from 11:30 a.m. at 1388 Locust St., Walnut Creek; http://torsapthaikitchen.com
