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The Student News Site of Macalester College

The Mac Weekly

The Student News Site of Macalester College

The Mac Weekly

Grub on the Green Line: On’s Thai Kitchen is a winner

Pineapple Fried Rice (left) and Tom Yum Soup (right). Photo by Henry Nieberg ’19.
Pineapple Fried Rice (left) and Tom Yum Soup (right). Photo by Henry Nieberg ’19.
I am never disappointed when I try a meal on the Green Line that has been recommended to me. This week, my already high expectations for trying great restaurants on the Green Line were exceeded when I tried On’s Thai Kitchen on University Ave and Snelling Ave. Going on a weekday, there was no wait, service was friendly and fast and, most importantly, the food was some of the most flavorful I’ve had in the Twin Cities.

I ordered the Pineapple Fried Rice ($10), Tom Yum Soup (a sweet and sour soup consisting of chilli peppers, lime, lemongrass, ginger, mushrooms and more) ($11), spring rolls ($4.50) and fried egg rolls ($3). The pineapple fried rice blew my mind. It was a perfect blend of spicy fried rice and a sweet gush of chunky pineapples. The slices of lime that accompanied the dish helped give a range of flavor in every bite. However, the best dish I had here was the Tom Yum Soup. Served in a hot pot with a flame underneath, the soup comes piping hot, both in temperature and in spice. In my personal experience, I like crying, but in this case I’m just talking about high spice levels. It’s been hard trying to find a restaurant in the Twin Cities with the spice caliber that allows me to do so. I ordered the soup with a spice level of seven out of 10, and my sinuses payed the price. Even looking at a spoonful of the broth, there was a beautiful blend of red chilli and lime juice amid other ingredients. If you like sweet and sour, acidic and basic, greens and meat, this is the dish for you.

The crunchy fried egg rolls at On’s Thai Kitchen. Photo by Henry Nieberg ’19.
The crunchy fried egg rolls at On’s Thai Kitchen. Photo by Henry Nieberg ’19.

The appetizers were also a pleasant surprise. The spring rolls were average, but the peanut sauce was truly unique. It was a vinegar base boiled with sugar then mixed with other ingredients like fish sauce and peanuts. Many peanut sauces are thick, with the peanuts mixed into the sauce, and the peanut sauce sticks onto the actual spring roll. If there weren’t sprinkled peanuts on top of this sauce, it would just be a clear-liquid vinegar base; the vinegar base was a refreshing twist on past peanut sauces I’ve tried. The other appetizer were the fried egg rolls. They were very full of flavor, much more than many of the egg rolls I’ve had in my life.

I definitely recommend going to On’s Thai Kitchen. It’s accessible on the A Line in less than 10 minutes. The food is reasonably priced and, considering the quality of the food, don’t be surprised if you see me there again this weekend.

On’s Thai Kitchen is located at 1613 University Ave West Saint Paul, MN 55104.

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