Aroma Royal Thai Cuisine, Franklin Park

Thai food... the fun and unique marriage of spicy, sweet, salty and bitter. When it's good, it's realllly good, and when it's not, it's still kind of good. Lucky for me cousin J and Dad had BOTH been telling me about Aroma Royal, and I have now seen the light. This is hands down some of the best Thai food I have ever eaten. Somewhat elegant, but completely delicious, it is not to be missed.

Over my last few visits there I have enjoyed several of their dishes (I have tried not to re-order any one thing so that I may provide you with a variety). This is a highlight of my favorites so far (and I will be sure to update as I re-visit... I don't want any of you to miss a bite!) I am also including a 'steer clear' dish or two so that you don't waste your time ordering sub par eats.

The first thing I ever ordered at Aroma Royal was the chili garlic fried rice. Wow. You get to add your choice of protein (shrimp, beef or chicken). I went with chicken, and it provided a nice, calm contrast to the serious flavor in the rest of the dish. It was spicy and garlicky, and so so SO fragrant. There was something that was providing an unexpected (but really delightful) toasty crunch. Upon some inspection it seemed that there were some fried up garlic and onion pieces. A totally welcome addition, these provided some serious textural contrast and warm rich flavor. I thought this was awesome.

Next up on my greatest hits list here was the Tom Yum King soup. A shrimp based broth filled with so much flavor it almost makes you dizzy. Lemongrass gives it that tart bite, earthiness from all of the mushrooms, the shrimp broth and three huge shrimp give it a sweetness, and there is a good amount of heat (so don't ask for it 'spicy' like i did the first time... OY! FIREEEEEE! 'medium' is hot enough and if you have a delicate palate you'll still get a huge wallop of flavor when ordering 'mild'). My Dad truly believes that Tom Yum soup is the cure to whatever ailments you may have. The spice cleans out your sinuses and warms up your guts, wakes up your brain and fills you up. It's the Thai twist on medicinal food... consider it the new Jewish chicken noodle! Super tasty and a really generous portion.

One of my 'don't bother' dishes would have to be the Aroma beef salad. The beef was a bit chewey and the dressing was a bit off. There is lime juice and mint atop this dish and the combo just wasn't working for me...it almost tasted bile-y. I know. Ew. It was also super heavy handed with the onion, which took it to a bitter and angry place. If you're in the mood for salad get the simple Thai salad... its clean, fresh and delicious, with a sweet and salty peanut dressing and strips of crisped up tofu. Skip the beef salad. Seriously.

The emerald Pan Dan leaves are a real treat. The presentation is lovely... they look like little presents wrapped up and piled on a plate. Basically what it is is succulent chicken and spices wrapped up in the Pan Dan leaves and then thrown into the frier. The leaves get crunchy but the chicken on the inside just gets jucier and jucier. When they bring it to the table they will remind you that THE LEAVES ARE NOT FOR EATING! (Yes I tried it despite the warning... not tasty) You unwrap your little package and a perfect little piece of chicken plops down on to your plate, ready to be dipped into the sweet and spicy sauce that comes on the side. The chicken gets crazy tender... falls apart on your fork, and literally explodes juices of happiness into your mouth. Yum. ohhhh yum!

The Lard Nar is my next 'eh' dish, but it may be my fault. They give you the option to order crisped egg noodles or flat rice noodles and I went the crisp route. While the mixture of vegetables and shrimp that the dish came with were lovely, the noodles were really inconsistent. Somewere super crunchy, almost to the point of being inedible, but some were soggy and not at all crisp. I feel that if I had gone the flat noodle route I would have had a better over all experience, but I won't find out as I turned myself off to the whole concept.

Last but oh so certainly not least is the Pad See Ew. This is the best dish that I have had at Aroma Royal, and I cannot live without it now. A very respectable portion of stir fried flat noodles, topped with a protein of your choice (I've now had it with shrimp and beef) and what the menu calls Chines broccoli, but what I call leafy greens (not sure if it's spinach or what). The greens are a little bitter, the sauce is a little sweet, theres garlic and those crunchy onion bits that I mentioned before, and some heat and some salt and its just soooo good. The green onion really makes each bite pop and the noodles are artfully cooked and give you a serious mouthful of happy. If you have to order ONE thing at Aroma Royal Thai Cuisine, this should be the dish. It is the true epitome of Thai cuisine, the delightful merge of all taste sensations and a true culinary experience. Get this. You'll be glad you did.

Once again, this place is really easy to miss (seems like a trend with my reviews, eh?) It's stuck in a strip mall on a major road, but don't let that fool you. The food is awesome, the service is attentive (overly so at times!) and it's actually really nice inside. Lots of artwork and deep colors provide a really great ambiance. Also, there are specials! Every day for lunch all rice or noodle dishes (even the Pad See Ew) are half price! Every Wednesday ladies eat half price. Every Thursday students eat half price. You can't beat these deals with a stick!

Aroma Royal Thai Cuisine

3175-3 Route 27 South

Franklin Park - 08823

732-422-9300