SAGINAW, TWP — Quack, quack. I’m back!
In my first two columns, I wrote about fish and beef, respectively. This week I indulged in poultry — with an Asian twist.
I dove beak-first into the delicious creation of roasted duck pad Thai.
Until this week I’ve only heard of pad Thai on sitcoms and in romantic comedies that are usually set in New York and eaten as takeout in some apartment.
It seems those are the only two requirements to enjoy pad Thai. I check both boxes, though my life is more comedy than romance.
Bob Johnson, editor of The Saginaw News and The Bay City Times of MLive.com, poses for a photograph in front of several takeout containers.Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com
Armed with this information, I set out to find this elusive TV show dish shared among friends in bustling busy city apartments and lofts.
I found myself in an area as close as we could get to a busy city in Saginaw County: Bay Road, next to the former Pizza Hut in Saginaw Township.
There sits a small white restaurant with green trimming. Nothing fancy about it, but if you know what I know, these are the establishments with the best food. The restaurant is called Peter and Chia’s House. They serve our Americanized Asian dishes of orange chicken, stir fry and wontons. But they also specialize in Thai food.
The four tables inside were all occupied, and the aroma of garlic, ginger, soy, sherry and onion being prepared at high temperatures filled my olfactory receptors.
I knew this food was going to be good.
“Are you ready to order?” Chia, one half of the husband-and-wife owners, asked.
“Do you have pad Thai? I’m on a mission to see what the hype is about,” I responded, though I already knew they had it from previous research and raving word-of-mouth reviews.
I was all set to order from the different varieties of the dishes they served, but noticed that I could add duck, crispy or roasted, to my dish. I chose roasted.
I can’t recall the last time I’ve had duck, if ever. So, given the chance to try two things new in one dish, I went for it. I call that “winning!”
Peter and Chia were born in Thailand and raised in California before opening their restaurant here less than three years ago.
I placed my order, and added some curry fries and an iced Thai tea.
Thai spicy shrimp fried rice, top left; Massama peanut curry fries, top right; Pad Thai with roasted duck, bottom.Bob Johnson
My order would take 30 minutes, Chia informed me. Another sign this food was going to be scrumptious, because anything fast isn’t good, and anything good isn’t fast, or so my granny would say.
I sat in my car watching the clock like a child at 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was excited.
Chia was excited for me, too. She included in my order some Thai spicy fried rice she said is very good but better the next day as leftovers. Rice, rice baby!
I arrived home and took my first mouthful of pad Thai. The marriage of flavors: sweet, sour, salty with a hint of spice was everything I never knew I needed in my life.
The roasted duck that sat atop the noodles was flavorful and perfectly cooked, and the tender texture offset the crunch of the chopped nuts that were sprinkled throughout. The earthiness of the carrots and sweet dark soy sauce brought balance to the dish.
Don’t “duck” out on an opportunity to try this dish. I’m noodle-deep in love with it.
Pad Thai with roasted duck
Address: Peter and Chia’s House, 3211 Bay Road in Saginaw Township
Hours: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 8 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday.
Price: $14-$25