Pad Ped is an item from the dinner menu dish that was not only very flavorful, but had authentic Thai elements that I had previously experienced only on the west coast. These included lime leaves (not exclusive to the west coast but not common in Oklahoma), basil, and a type of sweet pepper that I had previously only seen in Seattle (they look somewhat like peas in the photo). This dish frankly blew me away because it was so good. This was the first item I ordered in the "new" Thai Sweet Basil Express (not yet knowing that the owner had changed), and it was about as authentic as I could hope to find in a Thai restaurant. Mine came with pork, and I think this added to the wonderful mix of flavors and texture, but other meats or tofu are available as well. It was really the curry and the extra peppers (which are edible, by the way) that made this such a special dish.

Red curry with chicken

The Red Curry with Chicken had both a lemon grass and basil flavor added to the already excellent red curry. The menu lists this item with three chiles (the spiciest level), but I think customers need to request it if they really want it this hot. Personally I thought the way it came out was flavorful and made a good meal (in fact, it was one of the best red curries in the city).

Thai ginger with tofu

Thai Ginger, a dish available both on the lunch and the dinner menu, was a fresh and vibrant tasting mixture of ingredients with sliced ginger used as the dominant flavor. I thought this plate had a wonderful flavor and aroma, and was not overly sweet as is common at many restaurants. This dish was not at all spicy (and has zero chiles on the menu), but was delicious.

Jay curry

Jay Curry is purposely prepared as a vegetarian dish, but I ordered it to try the Masaman curry flavor at the restaurant. I thought it had a good, rich flavor, but it was not as spicy as the two chiles on the menu would indicate (and it probably could have used some more spice).

Drunken noodles, otherwise known as pad kee mao, from the lunch menu

Drunken Noodles was one of the best dishes at Elephant Café, and is good here as well. This one stands out among the noodle dishes because of the basil flavor, and the wide flat rice noodles seem to be among the most filling of the various types of noodles that are served. Pad kee mao (the Thai name of the dish) was not spicy, but the restaurant will provide fish sauce with chiles on the side if you want it "Thai hot." Without the fish sauce I did not like it as much as at Elephant Café, but with the sauce it came very close.

Thai basil with tofu from the lunch menu

Thai Basil seemed as if it would be another good dish with a basil flavor, but I thought the sauce was too sweet (I forgot to ask for it "Thai style"). In fact, just about every other lunch special I have ordered has been better than this one.

Thai Eggplant had a delicious brown sauce, and the eggplant was cooked just right. It comes with a choice of chicken, beef, or tofu, and it turned out to be a filling and interesting dish (especially with the basil added for flavor). This dish is one of the top two or three I have found on the lunch menu.

Pineapple fried rice

Pineapple Fried Rice is a dish I have not ordered, but I have sampled at several restaurants. My impression was that the one here was better than at Tana Thai, mainly because it seemed to have more ingredients and a more complex flavor.

Chicken coconut soup

Several types of traditional Thai soup are available as appetizers, but they come free with the lunch specials (lunch specials include a soup and appetizer, and it cost $9.95 when I ordered it). The lemon grass soup was spicy and very good, but my favorite was the chicken coconut soup (which is also available with tofu or other meat on the lunch special). The fact that meats or tofu can be substituted indicates that the soup is freshly made, and not cooked up in large batches as is common in many Asian restaurants.

Lemon grass soup

The Lemon Grass Soup is one of the appetizer choices on the lunch menu, and I was surprised at how spicy it was considering the lack of spice in many of the other items. It was very good, and is a type of soup I have not seen served at very many restaurants.

Pot sticker served as a complimentary appetizer with lunch specials

Pot Sticker is one of three types of dumplings available as an appetizer with the lunch specials (these come with vegetables, minced pork, and a soy-ginger sauce). This is probably the best of the choices, although I also liked the Thai Dumplings (that come with ground pork, water chestnuts, shitake mushrooms, and a soy-sesame sauce). The third choice (tulip dumplings which come with ground shrimp and crab) is one that I have not yet tried.

The Thai dumplings had an especially flavorful sauce, and dumplings can be prepared either steamed or fried. Any of the dumplings can also be served vegetarian.

Som tum

Som tum was a lime flavored salad available as an appetizer with the lunch specials, and turned out to have a better flavor than I expected (but probably not good enough to choose it over the dumplings or one of the soups). One reason I have been able to try so many different things, though, is that lunches always offer the choice of any two appetizer items on the menu.

Satay

Satay is a grilled chicken with peanut sauce (and also comes with a small cucumber salad). From the standpoint of flavor I did not like it as much as some other items, but from the standpoint of being filling they did help to supplement the lunch plate which sometimes comes in a substantially smaller quantity than the dinners.

Crispy rolls (spring rolls) were also very good, but I would not choose them over any of the salads or appetizers already mentioned.

The Thai Tea was very good, and not very expensive. I usually find that iced Thai tea is excellent with spicy food (although the food at Thai Sweet Basil Express is not extremely spicy unless you request it that way). Still, most of what I have eaten has been spicy enough that the Thai tea served as a good refreshment.

There is something about the restaurant's location in downtown Bethany that makes it more relaxed and comfortable than the average restaurant, and I would enjoy going even if I were not as excited about the food as I am. Thai Sweet Basil Express has a distinctive home made flavor that comes from everything being prepared from scratch. Some of the extras, such as lime leaves and peppers served in the pad ped dishes, are very uncommon in American Thai restaurants. Thai Sweet Basil Express charges more than many Thai restaurants, but I think you get more than at many places.