01/08/09

Really Great Thai on the Strip

by jay2002

This place is down the road from our office. Really great Thai - fresh crunchy tasty. They've gotten me addicted on their lunch through delivery, and then closed for months to renovate (why? it looked very nice before...). Now they re-opened which is great. The atmosphere inside is actually quite high end feeling, but without the drama and chaos of other high-end asian places. Its more subtle. I'd say a great place for a 'better' thai experience, whether in or out.

• Pros: Great Thai Salad - fresh and crunchy
• Cons: Not cheap, which hurts when you do delivery

06/09/08

Most unaccommodating Thai restaurant I've ever been to.

by tikidoll78

LA has so many Thai restaurants it seems like it would be impossible to ever eat at all of them. I have been to more than I can count and I have never had a problem substituting tofu in a curry listed with meat or most other dishes. When I opened the menu at Talesai, I was eying the massamun curry, only it was listed as containing lamb, so I planned to ask for a tofu substitution. Massamun is one of my favourite Thai dishes so since this place was pricey compared to most Thai places, I was keen to try it.

As it turns out, I could not try it. When I made my request, the waiter just said "No" and pointed to the red curry which was already vegetarian and told me I could have that. When I tried to ask again "You can't make this with tofu?" he just plain ignored me! The only pre-existing vegetarian entree was my only option. We ordered a tofu dish for an appetizer so there was indeed tofu in the building, so they were simply being obnoxious and unaccommodating.

The food itself was good but not mind blowing. The service was poor by that one waiter who was rude to all of us, with another waiter who was nice. For the price and their unwillingness to help, I would not recommend this restaurant. There are a million other places to try in this town.

• Pros: Nice setting, attractive decor
• Cons: Poor service, not many vegetarian selections and unwilling to make thing vegetarian.

Light years away from that strip mall Thai joint.

by Contributor

In Short
This Sunset Strip eatery serves up Thai food for a hip and upscale clientele, and the dining room looks the part, sporting a modern mix of concrete, metal and glass. Nearly all the diners look like they just might be "someone," and as a result, there's a lot of furtive squinting through the mood lighting to try to make out familiar faces.

12/05/06

Best Thai Food In Town

by erikiki

Talesai is far and away the best thai restaurant in LA. The staff is great, very polite and not at all pushy. The food is AMAZING. I recommend the Hidden Treasures and Pad Thai Noodles. The portions are not very big but everything is very tasty. The martinis are delicious!

• Pros: pad thai noodles, street parking on this part of sunset is pretty easy (they also offer valet)
• Cons: NOTHING!

04/24/06

Great food minus the duckless duck rolls

by organiccritic

Here are the pros: The coconut soup, the shrimp curry, and the pad thai were all delcious (I judge all Thai restaurants on the quality of their pad thai). Cons: The portions were small. The desserts were bland. We ordered the duck spring rolls, however there was no duck in the rolls. When we told the waiter, he spoke with the chef who claimed that sometimes the duck moves to the ends of the roll. So...we dissected our roll and still no duck. They still charged us for the duck roll ($10) and we paid it and left out of sheer frustration. Should you go? Yes. I have been to most of the Thai restaurants in the L.A. area and the food here is some of the best. Just steer cleer of the duck rolls & the desserts.

03/02/04

Great Thai Food- Recommended

by jasoneskin

The atmosphere in Talesai is perfect- great decor, perfect lighting- great for a romantic date.

The menu is rather large, offering a great assortment of chicken, fish, beef, vegetarian meals, soups, appetizers, and salads. The white curry is nice and spicy and the ginger chicken is very good. Had the Thom Yum soup- great for people who like lemongrass.

Prices are a little high, but managable.

• Pros: Atmosphere, Large Menu, Great Food

08/07/03

Down The Street

by ram3254

Talesai was a pleasant surprise on all counts. An affordable restaurant to take guests who appreciate a sense of style without pretension.

• Pros: Great Food, Excel Presentation, Relaxing Environment

01/10/03

Refined Thai Cuisine, Chic Atmosphere

by tifferz1978

Thai food on a gourmet level...high-quality ingredients, which sometimes are lacking in Asian restaurants, not a problem here...

Great & unusual dishes...Tuna Tar-Tar with a Thai Twist (lemongrass & coconut)...mmmmmm....Lynchee martini's set the tone for a unique experience...Huge tiger prawns, heavenly duck, perfectly spiced and flavored curries...not to be missed!

• Pros: Gourmet, Yet Traditional, FLAVORFUL food!
• Cons: Sometimes a wait

09/24/02

MMM good!!!

by felonykitty

excellent food all around and excellent lychee martinis....nice and cool ambience....