We hopped into a car with friends and family last Friday to test another strip mall gem, harbouring a hankering for Thai food after our original plans for the evening had fallen through.

Eat the Strip reader Penny had sent us the tip to go to My Thai Village in Kanata, located off Hazeldean Road. We arrived an hour before closing and were met with lovely smiles from the owners and fabulous Thai décor.

The place was buzzing with diners that looked relieved to have made it to their favourite Thai spot before it closed for the day.

Before ordering, we went back to Penny’s email, where she had recommended the pad khee mao with chicken. She wrote that it was so good that she ate the entire plate in one sitting. We spotted it on the menu and noticed the three hot peppers underneath. Ameya’s decision was made.

As expected, the pad khee mao was the biggest crowd pleaser. The texture of the noodles and flavour was exceptional, almost making us fight for the last bites. The gaeng kaew-waan, or green curry, was one of our preferred green curries in the city. We kept going back for more of the curry to soak our rice, which contrasted nicely with the crunchy bell peppers. The khao pad-sapparod with pork was sought after by one of our friends as a dish he had been seeking in Ottawa for years. While delicious and punctuated by pops of cashew, the rice didn’t match the intensity of the pineapple.

It turns out that may have been on us. Word to the wise here. If you’re up for the heat and authenticity, you can tell the servers to order the Thai version of several dishes. These flavours are bursting with much more spice and, ostensibly, flavour. We assumed that if we had ordered the more authentic khao pad-sapparod, the seasoning would pack more of a punch.

With many laughs, some nice jasmine tea to match the meal and bellies full, we chatted with the server while paying our bills. It turns out the chef, who hails from Thailand, regularly makes trips back home to update her recipes and bring back new culinary delights in a nod to the authenticity of the restaurant.

All in all, this was a great strip mall gem experience that only set us back $66 for the three of us.